Catching Fire: Victorious Style
by BraveAtHeart
Summary: The sequel to "Hunger Games - Victorious Style." The victors live on. But what new challenges will they face? Read to find out. PlEASE REVIEW!
1. Home

**A/N: Yeah so uh…remember when I said I couldn't do this for a couple months?**

**I LIED.**

**I was going to try to wait at least **_**a**_** month before starting it. But I literally couldn't. I'm too attached to this story and I felt like I was having withdraws from it. So, without further ado, I present to you the very first chapter of Catching Fire. I'm going to try and make at LEAST 30 chapters in this story. Sound good?**

**Btw I don't really want to do everything just like the book. So…just expect things to be different. This is an AU for a reason, haha I am also going to write this whole chapter in Jade's POV. Just this chapter though. I really want to dwell on the Clade (yes I made up a name for Clove and Jade's friendship) moments. So…yeah. Enjoy!**

**Jade POV**

I sat down on my bed. My plush, comfortable bed that I never had back in district 2. I mean yeah, our life was supposed to be "perfect" over there, but it's not really.

After we went back to our home districts, we were moved into the Victor's Villages in the districts. At first Katniss, Peeta, Cat, and I would call each other every night, and that was ok for a while. But after about a week, we missed each other so much that it was ridiculous. So it was decided that we would all move to the District 12 Victor's Village.

I wasn't going to leave District 2 without Clove though. So after hours of begging, pleading, and even crying, I was able to take her with me. Finally she had a home, a family. Because back in District 2, she had no one. She just went from place to place, and always had a story to back herself up in case a Peacekeeper would ask who her parents were.

Anyhow, back to the present.

I looked out the window at the snow that covered the ground. It glistened in the moonlight, as though glitter was scattered across it. More snow continued to fall.

I knew that the Capitol would soon be here to prepare us for the Victory Tour. The victor, or in this case victors, must go to every district and give a little speech there. They usually have a meal there too before they leave. There's no getting out of it, no matter how hard we try to get out of it.

I thought about the districts I dreaded most. It was going to kill me to go to district 1 because of Tori. It was going to be horrible to go to District 4, because that was Beck's district. District 5 will just be depressing, because Andre and Amelia were from that district. District 6 will be hard because Robbie was from that District.

District 11 was going to be hard on all of us. But I knew that Katniss would take it hardest.

Soon the morning sun began to rise. Slowly though. The sunrise was beautiful…it was orange. Not a sharp, "HERE I AM!" type of orange. A soft orange, a calming orange. I took a deep breath and just stared.

I was scared out of my mind when a knock at the door came.

"Yeah?" I called quietly, not wanting to wake up Clove or my dad, whoever was still asleep.

"Can I come in?" said a quiet voice who I knew immediately as Clove's.

"Of course," I said.

She walked in, wearing a nightgown that came all the way down to her ankles. Her hair was down rather than up like it usually was.

I scooted over on the bed and patted the spot next to me. Clove didn't hesitate to lay down next to me.

I tore my eyes away from the sunrise outside and focused on Clove.

She lay facing me, and she looked very sad.

"Clove, what's wrong?" I asked her.

She sighed and closed her eyes for a minute.

"I know that the Capitol people will be here really soon and stuff, and then you'll have to go on your tour. I won't see you for a while," Clove said, her voice breaking at the end of the sentence.

I sighed, knowing that she was right.

"Come here," I said.

She scooted over to me and lay right next to me.

"Let's make the best of this okay?" I said. Clove nodded.

The two of us stared out at the sky, where the orange was transforming into a vibrant yellow.

"The sunset's beautiful," Clove said in a soft voice that only I have ever been able to bring out of her. "Calming," I added.

"God, Jade, we've turned into softies," she said jokingly, and she turned to slap me on the arm.

I laughed under my breath.

"I know, right?" I said with another laugh. I paused for a moment and continued. "But we always were deep down. It's just that now we're actually showing it."

Clove smiled again.

We just stayed like that until the sun had completely risen. I knew that the Capitol would be here at noon. It was about 7 now. I had five hours.

"Can't we sleep for a little while longer?" asked Clove, who sounded sleepy.

I laughed.

"You can, but I really shouldn't," I said. "If I fall asleep now, I'll never want to get up."

Now it was Clove's turn to laugh. She knew how bad I was about getting up if I was tired.

"Please? You need the extra sleep. Have you looked in the mirror lately?" asked Clove.

I scoffed and slapped her playfully on the arm.

"Fine. If Effie yells at me, it's your fault," I said, and Clove laughed again.

We stopped talking, and sleep overtook me.

**Three Hours Later**

I woke up to someone shaking my shoulder gently.

"Jade, you need to get up. The cameras are going to be here in two hours, and Effie and Cinna and Haymitch and Portia are going to be here in one hour," my dad whispered.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him. Clove was still asleep next to me.

"Ok, thanks Dad," I said, rubbing my eyes. I was right; it was going to be really hard for me to get up and get moving.

I decided to take a bath before the prep team got here. Well, they were already here. They started with Peeta and are working their way up to me. Katniss's prep team, Cinna, and Portia were all we had left; because our other prep teams and stylists bailed out when they found out that we ALL won. They thought we defied the Capitol therefore they hated us.

Cinna was at Cat's house, and Portia was walking over to my house as I spoke.

I quickly got up out of my bed, making sure not to wake Clove, then hopped into the bathtub. I put some bubbles in it, and no sooner had I done so when Portia knocked on the bathroom door.

"Mind if I come in so we can talk?" asked Portia.

"Yeah that's fine," I said. I really didn't care. She had been my stylist for about half a year now anyhow.

The bubbles completely hid everything but my neck and face, which was good. Portia walked in and closed the door behind her quietly.

She sat down awkwardly on the toilet, and I looked at her, waiting for her to tell me what was going to happen.

"Well, Octavia, Venia, and Flavius will be here soon. They are thrilled with the dresses and suit that the other three are wearing. I think you'll love your outfit. But first…" she said, almost urging me on to finish the sentence.

"Beauty Base Zero," I said with a smile. Portia smiled.

She left the bathroom while I scrubbed my entire body until it was nearly raw and shaved my arms and legs and stuff. That part I did myself. Then, Portia came in and did my nails and toenails and hair.

We decided to go with my signature black nails. Portia asked me if I wanted a design on it, and I said I wanted a white flame on it. I thought they looked pretty freaking awesome when we were done.

Portia handed me some undergarments and I put them on.

"Alright, now close your eyes," she said, giddiness evident in her voice. I laughed and did as she asked.

I felt a dress being slipped over my shoulders. It was silky, and it came down to my ankles.

Portia zipped it up in the back, and then squealed with happiness.

"Open," she ordered.

I was absolutely in love with what I was wearing. It was so simple, yet so amazing.

I wore a black dress that flared out a little bit at the hips. It came down kind of low on my chest. There was only one strap on it. It was pure black silk.

And the part I loved the most was the white flame patterns. It looked as though flames were licking at my sides.

I'd had enough experiences with fire to last me a lifetime, but I couldn't get over how much I loved this dress.

"Oh my God Portia…I love it!" I said, throwing my arms around her. she smiled.

She started curling my hair a little bit, to give it a wavy look rather than a straight look.

Finally, she gave me my finishing touches. A little bit of makeup on my face, and some makeup on the on scar on my arm that we can't seem to get rid of. She also handed me some black "pumps" as they called them in the Capitol.

I heard footsteps, and I didn't even have to ask who it was.

"You look gorgeous," said Clove, her voice quiet. I saw her face in the mirror. She looked mesmerized.

I turned to her and smiled.

"You have to leave now don't you?" she asked me.

I sighed and nodded.

I hugged her tightly for a long time.

"I'll be back before you know it," I promised her.

She nodded, and tears filled her eyes.

"Hey, don't cry. It's alright," I said.

She laughed.

"I know. It's just…all of this. The fact that you made it home, that I can still talk to you today. The fact that you're standing in front of me. And the fact that I am SO jealous of your dress," she said.

I laughed more than necessary at that one.

Finally the time came when I had to go meet up with Katniss and the others.

I hugged my dad and Clove one last time.

I waved at them as I walked out the door to meet Katniss, Peeta, and Cat, shaking my head to try and rid myself of the sadness I was feeling. I couldn't seem to shake it though. There was a heavy feeling in my chest.

Katniss and Cat looked absolutely gorgeous, and Peeta was looking quite fine if I had to admit it.

We all went in for a group hug.

"We can do this," assured Katniss.

Cat nodded.

I took a deep breath and turned to Effie, Haymitch, Cinna, and Portia.

"Shall we?" asked Haymitch.

I closed my eyes for a moment, picturing Cato and the others.

When I opened them, I nodded.

Hand in hand, the four of us followed them to the hovercraft. We didn't dare look back behind us, because we knew it would be too much to handle to see Prim and Clove and Frankie and the others another time before we left.

**A/N: Did you like it? I think the Clade friendship worked out really well.**

**As always, reviews are appreciated! :D**


	2. An Unwanted Visitor

**A/N: Hey again! Hope you like this. I will go back to alternating between POV's now. just wanted to go all out on the Clade in that last chapter.**

**Katniss POV**

When we stepped onto the hovercraft, I swear my heart just about stopped. Wait, scratch that, I'm pretty sure I died on the spot and somehow revived myself.

The shock registered on everyone else's face only moments after it registered on mine.

He sat there on a stool, a white rose protruding from the breast pocket of his jacket, the stench of blood filling the air around him. Where it came from, I don't know, but it was almost radiating from him.

I looked from side to side, back and forth between my fellow victors. Confused was not a strong enough word. Confused, scared, and stunned would be better to describe how I felt right now.

President Snow being here could mean only one thing. We were in some serious trouble.

I knew we weren't going to get away with being pulled out of the arena when there were four of us left. I just didn't know how we were going to be approached about it.

I guess I have my answer.

President Snow's snakelike eyes dart around, flashing between the four of us victors and the three people standing behind us.

"Hello Cinna. Haymitch. Effie. I'd like a word with just these four here," Snow said, his elegant and oddly soft voice ringing out in my ears as he spoke.

Cinna patted my shoulder in reassurance, and then the three of them walked to a different portion of the hovercraft. This was one of the more advanced ones rather than the type that we were taken to the arena in.

Suddenly a horrible thought came to me. If I am in trouble, if WE are in trouble, so are our families.

Keeping my composure, I turned back to President Snow.

"Let's make this whole thing simpler right off the bat. Let's not lie to each other, agreed?" said Snow, his voice sounding snakelike. He even hissed on his s's when he spoke.

"That would save time," said Cat, her voice coming out bold.

Snow smiled. "Good."

The five of us just sat silently as we waited for Snow to continue.

"See, my children, I have a small problem," said Snow, folding his hands and placing them in his lap. I felt like there was a knot in my throat that I couldn't swallow.

Snow waited to see if we had anything to say. When no one replied, he continued with his torturously long way of telling us something.

"And, children, that problem began when the four of you were pulled out of the arena," said Snow, his elegant voice hardening a bit.

Still, no one spoke.

"Our dear Gamemaker Seneca Crane had a bit of a sentimental moment when he ordered that you be removed from the arena. Would any of you like to guess where he is?" asked Snow. He talked in the tone that a teacher would when trying to explain something bit by bit.

I could tell by the evil tone and look in his eyes that Seneca Crane had been killed. How, I don't know, nor do I ever want to find out.

Snow smiled as he could see the anguish in our eyes. The confusion, the fear of what was going to happen next.

"You played everything over quite well. Whatnot with your crazy-in-love schoolgirl and schoolboy acts, your desperate need to get out of that arena without losing yet another member of your alliance," said Snow, using a mocking tone when he said what we did, but his voice deepening into an angry sneer at the end of his statement.

The four of us said nothing, but I could see Jade's jaw locked tight. She wasn't happy.

"But not everyone fell for that. Of course, you would not know, seeing as you have no connection with the other districts. Some people think it's absolutely rubbish. Some people, on the contrary, quite adore you four little…children," he said, and I could feel the rage boiling up inside of me. I put my hands behind my back and clamped them tightly together so I didn't lash out at him. I bit the inside of my cheek to the point of drawing blood. He snickered as he continued.

"But some people also think that it was an act of defiance against the dear Capitol. So, what is to prevent, say, an uprising?" asked Snow. "Don't want that, do we?"

Suddenly his reason for being here became clearer. He thinks we were trying to defy the Capitol. He thinks there may be uprisings in the districts because of our "act of defiance." He is losing control of things, and he needs us to figure out how to prevent all havoc breaking lose.

Snow just stared at us, and the pressure was becoming unbearable.

"You know what that would mean. Innocent lives lost. Horrible circumstances for the survivors," Snow continued, adding onto the pressure still.

"But, that will not happen, as long as we keep a firm grip on the districts. And there's only one way to do that," Snow said.

I started to feel sick to my stomach as Snow kept talking.

Suddenly, an Avox walked in, her head bowed like their heads always were. She had a plate of cookies and tea cups, with a steaming kettle sitting on a tray as well.

"Thank you," said Snow, taking the tray and setting it on the table next to him.

"Help yourselves to these ever so lovely cookies. Who made them, may I ask?" asked Snow, picking one up and examining it.

"I did," Peeta said.

Snow turned to him with an odd smile on his face again.

"Wonderful," he said. Only there was no happiness or praise in his voice whatsoever.

The pressure continues to mount as Snow continues.

"So…Katniss, how is that dear friend of yours? Gale, I mean. Oh wait, I'm sorry. He's your cousin…right?" said Snow.

That just about set me over the edge. I had to swallow really hard to keep from vomiting at that point. How could he have known that Gale and I weren't cousins? What was there that could have set him off, made him believe we were only friends, or made him think we were something more?

Unless he knew about the kiss after I came back.

It was only one. But surely Snow must know about it.

**Cat POV**

As Snow finished his question, I saw all the color drain from Katniss's face as she tried desperately not to be sick.

Katniss told me about the kiss between her and Gale. Well, cried to me about it. She said she felt so guilty for what she had done. I had to comfort her for hours after that. And even then, she still felt terrible about kissing Gale.

"Fine," said Katniss once she was able to speak.

"How delightful," Snow said, his voice becoming elegant and "happy" again.

We looked on at him as he continued.

"And Jadelynn. Is Clove doing alright? How are her parents?" asked Snow.

It took everything in my power not to go crazy on him right then. Since Clove had moved in with Jade in the Victor's Village, the four of us girls had become extremely close. Clove had fit right in to our, well, family. I knew she lost her parents when she was young, and his stab at her nearly threw me overboard.

Jade, however, seemed quite in control of her feelings.

"She's great, thanks for asking. How ever so kind of you," Jade replied in the same tone as Snow himself.

Snow smiled again, seemingly unfazed by Jade's remark to him.

There was a deafening silence before Snow spoke again. He seemed to have given up on the cool, indifferent tone that he was using before.

"Listen closely. Peeta and Katniss, you will keep up your lovers act in all ways. Understood?" asked Snow.

Peeta and Katniss nodded abruptly.

"Caterina and Jade, you two will convince everyone in the country of Panem that you are the two bravest, toughest women that the country has ever seen. You will never appear as weak. Is that understood?" asked Snow.

Jade and I nodded. That will be very difficult, but we had to somehow compensate for our crimes in the arena.

"If I hear a single word against the Capitol uttered from your disgusting mouths, you will pay for it. Hear me when I warn you this," said Snow. His pupils were dilated so much that you could barely see the whites of his eyes.

He truly looked like a monster.

Silence settled in the air again, and finally Snow concluded his speech.

"If you fail to complete this, it will not only be you who pays. Your families will pay too," said Snow. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was threatening to kill or torture them, whichever floated his boat at the time.

"I will be in love with Peeta just as I was in the arena," said Katniss, even though she never did become less close to him. If anything, she became closer to him after the Games. But two can play mind games, not just one.

"Just as you are," said Snow.

"Just as I am," said Katniss, confirming his notions. She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed Peeta on the cheek.

"I will be in love with Katniss just as I was, and just as I am," said Peeta, playing along with the games Katniss had started.

Snow nodded, then turned to Jade and I.

"Nothing will break us," I said, though fear was evident in my voice.

Snow clicked his tongue. "Are you sure about that?"

"Nothing will break us. I can tell you that for sure," I said, steadying out my voice.

Snow smiled. "Much better."

Snow turned to Jade. "Do you agree with Miss Valentine's notion?"

Jade nodded. "100%."

Snow smiled even wider, in a maniacal sort of way.

"Excellent," he said.

Snow stood up from his chair and faced us once more.

"I'm glad we came to an agreement," he said.

The four of us were silent as we waited for his next move.

He said nothing as he walked over to a place on the wall. From the windows of the hovercraft, I saw another hovercraft fly up beside this one, and a tunnel extended from it.

The tunnel latched on to the area in which Snow stood in front of. Suddenly, the wall slid away, and Snow stepped out into the tunnel, the reek of blood still lingering in the air behind him.

He poked his head out and said one last thing to us.

"Aim higher in case you fall short," he said.

"What?" Peeta asked.

"Don't just convince the districts. Don't just convince the Capitol," Snow said.

We all stared at him.

"Convince me," he said.

He walked through the tunnel and into the hovercraft parallel to the one we stood in.

It was not until the hovercraft was gone that feelings could be processed.

**Jade POV**

As soon as Snow was gone in his hovercraft, the four of us collapsed against the walls of the room we were in.

I was shaking hard, and I immediately tried to stop. We were certainly being watched right now, and I couldn't let any weakness show. None of any type.

As soon as I could regain my composure, I stood up, dragging Cat up with me.

The two of us turned to the shaky, sick-looking couple who were still leaning against the wall.

Katniss looked like she was about to throw up, and Peeta didn't look so hot either. He looked more worried about Katniss than anything else.

There was a knock on the door. The four of us yelped, and Cinna burst through the door when he heard it, followed by Effie and Haymitch.

"Dear God, sweetheart, what did he do to you?" asked Haymitch, leaning down to Katniss. Effie leaned down next to Peeta.

Katniss took a deep breath and let a shudder run through her body before answering.

"It's not what he did. It's what he could do," she said. Her shaking was subsiding, and some color was coming back to her face.

We didn't really have time to worry about Katniss's health, though, because I could see the orchards of District 11 showing up below us as I looked out the window. I just held my gaze for a while, trying to calm myself before we went out to present ourselves as the Victors.

By the time I turned back around, Katniss was up on her feet, as well as Peeta, looking almost good as new.

"You ok Katniss?" I asked her hesitantly.

She nodded.

"Good as I'll ever be," she said, and I sense there was something more to that than just a simple response.

The hovercraft landed behind the Justice Building, and Effie, Cinna, and Haymitch looked at all of us with sympathy.

**Peeta POV**

I was surprised when the three adults who had come with us on our trip here started to hug each of us.

"I know this is going to be difficult for you guys. Just do your best, ok? That's all that matters," said Cinna.

Oh, Cinna, how I wish that were true. That our best was all that matters.

That our actions didn't affect anyone else.

I was so tempted to tell him right then about what happened. But no one can know. Because someone else knowing will mean death to someone important to us. And I can't let that happen. WE can't let that happen.

"We'll do our best," said Katniss.

"Y'know, a few tears won't hurt. Give them something to root for. Give the Capitol a show," said Haymitch.

Truth be told, I didn't know anymore what would hurt and what wouldn't. The only way to find out was to experiment.

"Alright," said Jade.

The hovercraft door slid open, and we set out into District 11. The home of Rue and Thresh.

The first chance to convince Snow.

The first chance for Snow to put something against us.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Games aren't over yet.

In fact.

They're just getting started.

**A/N: WOOH DRAMATIC ENDING! Haha.**

**Hope this was worth the wait. Thanks for reading, please do review!**


	3. District 11

**A/N: hey again! Hope you like this!**

**Peeta POV**

Still a bit shaken from the meeting we had with evil himself, the four of us were quickly ushered out of the hovercraft and into a very heavily armored truck. Well isn't that reassuring.

As we drove through the town, I was surprised at the level of security that District 11 had. They had very high watchtowers and other security features.

There was also so very few people here, living in houses even shabbier than those you would find in the Seam. When Rue said her life was more difficult than one would think, she really wasn't kidding.

Rue. Every time her name comes up, there's a pang at my heart. Knowing that we lost her, and knowing how much it hurts my Katniss, really kills me inside.

I turned to Katniss and took her hand.

"Are you ok?" I asked her, knowing how much this must hurt her. I couldn't imagine what she was feeling at that moment. I could only try and comfort her.

Katniss turned to me, a strange look on her face. The others looked on at us sadly.

"No, Peeta, I'm not ok. But I guess I have no choice but to suck it up," she said, and I shuddered as the meeting rolled through my head again. That meeting, that threat, was going to haunt me until the day Snow is dead. Which I hope could be very soon, and at the hands of one of us.

When we got to the Square, I noticed that even FEWER of the population of 11 were there, because the rest were completing the harvest.

Haymitch, Effie, and Cinna ushered us out of the truck and onto the stage on which we would give our thanks to the district.

There was a small platform, as always, created for the tributes' families. Two families stood on either side. It wasn't hard to tell who was who, because Rue's 5 siblings resembled her so much that it scared me. Well, not really SCARED me, but you get what I mean.

The seven of us sat down in the chairs provided.

**Cat POV**

The mayor stood up and read a speech in our honor. Most victors would feel elated at this, proud, or anything else but what I was feeling.

The whole place around me was just devastating. I was trying to escape from Rue and Thresh, trying to escape from the memories of them that flooded my mind, but nothing was working. Sorrow and sadness was building up inside of me, and it was difficult to keep a straight face. But unless I wanted Frankie dead, I had absolutely no choice but to wipe my face clean of emotions and keep that straight face.

As the mayor droned on and on, I decided to let the memories rush in. I thought of when I first met her. she was a scared little girl trying to throw knives, to do something impressive. She suggested that we had become allies, and that was when the alliance started.

I thought of the times inside the arena. Comforting her for the first few nights before she really got to know anyone else. Feeling responsible for her, feeling like I needed to be there for her and keep her safe. It wasn't exactly a bad feeling. It was…good, almost.

I thought of the morning when we set out to complete our plan. It was successful, but at a great cost. We lost Beck to the explosion itself, and Rue to a trap. To a spear thrown by Marvel from District 1.

I thought of watching Katniss sing Rue to her death. How she reacted when Rue was gone. I had never seen ANYONE lose control the way that she did. I know now that the loss of someone important to you can really mess you up.

Finally the mayor finished, and a bouquet of flowers was presented to each of us. We gladly accepted them. Then, a plaque. It was so big that we had to put down our bouquets to hold it up.

It was time for us to give our speeches.

It looked like I was going first, too.

I figured that I couldn't say much of anything personal, because Snow was probably watching us like a hawk, waiting for us to do something that could be held against us.

"I would just like to thank you for your beautiful and amazing children. Both of them were very brave. Thresh would never play the Games on anyone's terms but his own, and I admired his strength and respected him for it too. Rue…she was…she was just amazing," I said.

Before I knew it, I was rambling on about Rue and what she meant to all of us.

Finally, I decided I had said enough. I sat back down and allowed Jade to speak.

**Jade POV**

I was in some serious danger of crying right now at Cat's speech.

It was my turn, so I stood up and put myself back together to give my own speech.

"I don't think any of us could ever repay you for what you and your tributes have done. One thing that many people don't know is that Thresh died saving us. The Careers were chasing after us, and he guided them his way. I only saw him once in person. He gave a little nod to me and then took off, the Careers hot on his trail. And he died fighting them. As Cat said, I admire his strength and what he did for us. So I thank you for him. His death was not in vain," I said, feeling myself get a little choked up. I swallowed hard. I couldn't let myself get emotional right now.

Then I continued.

"Rue…oh goodness, Rue. The little girl who could climb through trees like no other. The little girl who when you would ask her what her favorite thing is, she would say music," I said. I paused and looked down for a moment, giving myself just that moment to recuperate and finish my speech.

And then I went into full out "pour-out-my-heart" mode, telling the district about the many nights we had spent with Rue. How she was the one person who had and still does give me hope, and many other things.

"Just…thank you," I said with a nod as I sat down. Peeta's turn.

Peeta stood up to talk a bit about Thresh and Rue.

His speech was just as heartfelt as the others'. It was difficult for him too.

After about a five minute speech, it was Katniss's turn.

**Katniss POV**

I had so many things that I wanted to say. But I didn't know how.

Suddenly, it came to me, pouring out of my mouth like water.

"No words could ever express how thankful I am for Thresh and Rue. So let me start with why I am thankful for Thresh. Just like Jadelynn, I only ever saw Thresh once. I spoke to him though. Just long enough for him to spare my life. That was the last thing I ever said to him, the last time I ever saw him, because only minutes later, the Careers got him. I am incredibly sorry for your loss, to whoever is grieving for him. If it hurts this bad for me, it must be ten times worse for you," I said, knowing that someway, somehow, Snow would find something wrong in just that paragraph and I was going to be punished for it. But I needed to find a way to express what I felt, to express how thankful I am.

"And Rue…where do I even begin with her? She was one of the two people who kept me alive in that arena at all costs. She was one of the two people who could make me keep going when all hope was lost," I said, turning back to Peeta to signal that he was the other one.

"She always brought joy into every situation. She was the sweetest little thing ever. She was my savior in the awful place better known as the arena. When I was talking to her, she could take me away from reality. We had our own little world.

She reminded me of my little sister, Prim. It was that comparison, that feeling of recognition, that saved me and kept me going.

Everything reminds me of her. I see flowers, and I think of her. I hear a song, and I think of her. I see a willow tree in the old Meadow, and I immediately start crying. I never wanted to lose her, and I feel as though there should have been something I could do. I feel like I could have saved her," I said. I had to stop and look down for a moment, because this whole thing was just getting to me too much.

"I really loved her. We all did. We love you, Rue, and you've taken a piece of all of us with you, wounded our hearts in ways that can never be healed. But don't you for a minute feel bad about it. Because you mean more than one could put into words to me. To us. Thank you," I said.

I swallowed the tears in my throat and turned back to the rest of the victors for a moment, before doing something that was completely stupid, and our families would pay for it later.

"I know this can in no way compensate for your losses. But from here on out, until the day we die, each of the tributes' families will receive one month of our winnings each year," I said.

The crowd reacted immediately, and I saw one of Rue's siblings look at me with a look that could only be described as love.

The realization of what I had just done set in, and I wondered how people were going to get punished back home.

The crowd was silent for a while. Something wasn't right about this.

Then, they did something that would have moved us to tears if we weren't scared to death.

It wasn't a spontaneous accident or anything. It was in unison.

They gave us all the three finger salute, and a man whistled Rue's whistle that would signal safety. Rue and Thresh are safe from harm now. Safe and sound.

Almost immediately after, we were ushered off of the stage.

"Wait, the flowers!" said Cat. Of course she would think of that. I almost smiled at her childishness.

We headed back to get them, only to see something very frightening.

The man who had whistled was on stage, and as we looked in, a Peacekeeper sent a bullet through his head.

Cat let out a choked sound, and my eyes went wide.

I turned to her.

"Come on, let's go," I said. I grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the Square.

I heard two more gunshots. Who was that?

One of Rue's siblings? Thresh's grandmother?

I couldn't bear to think about it any longer. When we caught up with the others, it seemed as the others had heard the gunshots too.

We were silent throughout the rest of the night.

**A/N: Viola! I will do districts 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 each in their own chapter because obviously important people died in that district.**

**Hope you liked this. Review! :D**


	4. District 6

**A/N: Hello again! This is gonna be District 6's memorial. Hope you like it!**

**Peeta POV**

Katniss and I lie silently in her bed next to each other. It was the morning of the day when we Robbie's district.

The past districts had been nearly painless. We only read the Capitol's speeches that they wrote for us since we were never very personal with anyone from those districts. There was a lot of cheering and festivity. But I could see the hatred in the eyes of some of the citizens. After being in an arena full of enemies for the most part, you learn to know that look pretty well.

Katniss suddenly just curled up close to me, her head on my chest, her body curled into mine. Instinctively put my arms around her and held her closer.

I stroked her hair softly, and she grasped my hand, caressing it gently with my thumb.

I thought back to the times before the Games. How I never in a million years thought that I would actually get to be her boyfriend. But yet, here I stand, a better man, because I have her now. and she's all mine. And no one can take her away from me, no matter what.

These are the moments that I live for. When it is just silence around us, just the two of us, and you can feel the love even though no one is saying a word.

We lie there in silence for a little while longer, until Katniss spoke up.

"I'm not sure that Cat is ready for this," she said, her voice full of worry.

I sighed. I knew she was right. Cat was a mess last night. She and Jade had been stuck up in Cat's room for about three hours, and when they came out, you could see that Cat had obviously been crying.

After we sent Cat to bed, and Katniss sang her to sleep, Jade told us about everything that had happened, nearly crying herself while telling it.

"I know, Katniss. But there's nothing we can do, really. I think this will be good for her...maybe it will help her let go," I said. 'Let go' was a touchy term when you used it with us four.

It was Katniss's turn to sigh.

"I hope you're right," she said.

Suddenly, Effie's unmistakable voice filled our ears.

"Up up up! We've got another big, big, big day ahead of us!" she boomed, overly perky for seven o'clock in the morning.

I heard Haymitch shout something to her that I'd rather not repeat. Katniss giggled when she heard it.

Then I heard Cinna talking to Effie outside our door, just as she was about to barge in.

"Give the kids some privacy, Eff," Cinna said.

"Alright. You get them up then. just make sure their ready, ok?" said Effie, her voice quieting down to what most people call "normal".

"Ok, now go on," Cinna said, and the sound of high heels against the floor of the train rang out through the halls.

Katniss and I closed our eyes, pretending to be asleep.

As the door creaked open, a soft "aw" could be heard from Cinna.

I heard the shuffling of quick, bare feet, and I knew that Cat and Jade were at our door too.

"Now that's adorable," Jade said, and I had to bite back a smile.

I heard someone walking up to us, and then Cinna whispered to Katniss.

"Wake up, Katniss," he said, and he gently shook her.

Katniss stirred.

The next thing I felt were her lips on mine. I guess that was my cue to "wake up."

My eyes fluttered open, and I smiled at Katniss. I kissed her on the forehead.

"I'm assuming we have to get up now?" I said wearily.

"You assumed correctly," said Cinna. "Oh, Katniss, I wanted to give you something."

Cinna pulled out a sketchbook full of clothing designs, with Katniss's name written on the front of it.

"Here's 'your' designs," he said.

See, every victor must have a special talent. Mine is painting, Cat's is singing, Jade's is playing piano, and Katniss's is "designing clothes".

Katniss flipped through the book with a smile.

"You know, I think I show some promise," she said.

Cinna rolled his eyes with a playful smile.

"Get dressed, you worthless things," he said, pointing to the clothes at the end of Katniss's bed.

All of us laughed more than one normally would at that one. But when you're stressed out, what more can you do?

Jade, Cat, and Cinna left the room and shut the door behind them.

I turned to Katniss.

"Up we get," I said.

Katniss groaned and looked up at me with pleading eyes.

"Don't start with the eyes, missy," I said, teasing her.

Again, these are the things that I live for.

She stuck out her bottom lip, and she looked absolutely ridiculously ADORABLE. But I refused to give in.

"Alright, that's it. You leave me no choice," I said.

Realizing it one second too late, Katniss's eyes widened as I pushed her out of bed.

She lay laughing on the floor for at least two minutes, I swear to you.

I got out of bed and helped her up, and we just stared into each other's eyes.

"We've got to get ready. We've got to go to Robbie's district," said Katniss, her smile fading as well as my own.

I sighed and nodded.

Katniss picked up her clothes and I picked up mine.

I headed back to my room to take a shower.

**Cat POV**

I stood under the heat of the shower water, letting it scald the skin on my back.

I had been standing there for at least a half an hour.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Kitty, I know this is hard, but you've got to come out and get ready. We'll be there in 20 minutes," said a familiar voice. Jade's.

I sighed.

"Alright, I'll be out in a minute," I said, turning the water to a colder temperature to ease the burn on my back. After standing like that for a minute or so, I turned off the water completely.

I walked into the little dryer thing that dries your whole body AND hair AND grooms your hair. Within 30 seconds, I was ready to go.

I put on my undergarments and then my dress. I put my hair up in a high ponytail, just like Cinna had told me to.

I walked out of my room and into the main car, where the others were having a cup of whatever to wake them up.

Haymitch turned to me cautiously.

"You alright?" he asked me, eyeing me as though I was a bomb about to detonate.

Knowing that the Capitol could very well be watching us, I answered with the only logical answer.

"Yes. I'm fine," I said. But I made sure to look him in the eye and convey my true feelings to him.

He seemed to understand, so he just nodded.

I got a cup of hot chocolate and took sips of it, letting the hot liquid stream down my throat. This was a luxury we never had back in 3 before the Reaping.

We pulled up just behind the Justice Building, there were Peacekeepers waiting to take us all out onto the stage.

When we arrived, there was a tremendous amount of cheering for us. I heard my name being chanted repeatedly, and I smiled.

I didn't see a single person's eyes filled with hatred as there were in the other districts. Well, except for 11. But you get the point.

We went through the normal ritual of the ceremony. The mayor talks forever about stuff that I can't even worry about right now, and then we get to speak.

Peeta was the first to speak.

He started to pull out the Capitol speech, but just sighed and put it back in his pocket.

"I just want to thank you, District 6, for the amazing tributes who you provided for the Games. In our many nights together, the alliance and I I mean, we heard story after story about Allison. She seemed like such a sweet girl…I am so sorry that we couldn't save her. I would have done anything in my power to do that. And Robbie…Robbie was an amazing guy," said Peeta.

"He always knew how to lighten the situation. Maybe not make it better, but lighten it. He knew how to take away the stress of the arena. He was a great storyteller. He was one of the most loving and caring men that I have ever met in my lifetime. I don't know how I could ever say enough about him," said Peeta.

He gave a a few more sentences and then wrapped it up.

The other two girls' speeches went along the lines of Peeta's. Katniss said how thankful she was that Robbie kept me safe. Jade said how thankful she was that Robbie gave me someone to love.

And then it was my turn.

I stood up and faced the audience.

"No words can ever describe how thankful I am for the two amazing people you provided for the Games. But I can at least try to summarize it," I said.

I talked a little bit about Ali and what I knew about her. I recalled most of the stories that Robbie told us. But it was when we got to Robbie that things started getting hard on me.

"Robbie…where do I even begin to describe him? Oh I know. Let me start with the fact that he was the reason that I kept going in that arena. His…his personality, his love, his comforting arms, his smooth way with words, everything about him gave me something to hold on to. He gave me purpose in my life. When I was with him, all my insecurities went away, all my troubles dissolved into nothing. It was just him and I in the world.

I really did picture a life with him. The five of us making it out of the arena. Continuing to love him. Maybe one day having a family with him. I knew it was never going to happen, but it doesn't hurt to think about it.

I know he's watching over me though. I never feel alone. I always feel safe. Because the nerdy boy with the big square glasses gave me the sense of security that I have lacked in my life for far too many years.

A part of me died with him, and it is going to take a long time to patch that hole. I don't even know if I will be able to patch it. It's a constant reminder that he's really gone. I'm just going to have to suck it up and live with it, though.

Oh, and one more thing," I said, remembering a conversation we had on a late night in the arena.

"Robbie wanted to tell his brother how much he loved him and how much he missed him. He said he didn't want you to mourn over him. He wanted to see you find a girl, have a family, and go on with your life. He really means it, Arthur," I said, looking straight at Robbie's brother.

I knew I was just rambling then, so I decided to wrap it up.

"So…yeah. I guess that covers it. Robbie, I love you. I loved you, and I will forever love you. I can never thank you enough for what you did for me. Arthur, you have my deepest condolences. Allison's family, I hope you know that Robbie and Allison are in a better place now. thank you," I said, doing my best to finish it off without it just being a jumble of words that didn't make any sense.

The crowd erupted in cheers. I could see tears pouring like buckets down Arthur's face. He gave me a nod to show his appreciation.

The rest of the night, I was numb.

**Katniss POV – Train at 10:30 PM**

I lie silently in my bed, alone. I couldn't sleep because I couldn't stop worrying about Cat.

Finally deciding that I could take it no more, I got up out of bed and tiptoed down to her bedroom.

I knocked on the door.

After a few moments, Cat appeared at the door.

She practically collapsed crying into my arms.

I guided her to her bed, and for a while she just cried and cried and cried. She sobbed about how she feels responsible for Robbie's death and how she thought she could have saved him.

The whole thing twisted my heart so much that I let a few tears of my own slide down my cheeks.

"It's a terrible thing Cat, and no one knows why things happen. I know it's hard, but you said it yourself. Robbie's in a better place now. and he will never truly leave you. He'll always be with you. In here," I said, placing a finger on her heart.

She looked up at me, her huge, tear-filled brown eyes glistening in the moonlight.

"I keep trying to let go, but I can't," she whispered. There was true desperation displayed on her face.

I hugged her closer to me and sighed.

"Then don't. But don't let this take over your life. Things are going to be fine, ok?" I said.

Cat swallowed hard and nodded.

"Thanks Katniss. I really needed that," she said to me, wiping a few stray tears from her face.

I smiled.

Wordlessly, Cat climbed under her covers. I tucked them in around her and began to sing.

"Deep in the meadow

Under the willow

A bed of grass

A soft green pillow…"

**A/n: Definitely not my best. I'm really tired, so I apologize. I promise the next one will be better. But I wanted to get a chapter up for you guys.**


	5. District 5

**A/N: Hello. This is the district 5 trip in the Victory Tour. **

**Hope you like it!**

**Jade POV**

I lie quietly in my room, staring up at the ceiling. Though the train was quite warm, I shivered beneath my layers of blankets. I had just woken up from an absolutely terrifying dream.

Beck and I were roaming through the arena alone. I don't even know what we were doing.

All of the sudden, a canon went off.

I turned to Beck, and all the blood drained from my face.

As if by some sort of unspoken agreement, the two of us tore off into the distance, in the direction that the canon went off.

As we ran, more and more canons went off.

We finally reached the place where the canons were going off. And no word could ever describe the shock I had felt at that moment.

Everyone I loved lay dead in that arena.

To my right lay Clove, a knife twisted in her chest. Her usually stunning eyes stared lifelessly into the distant beyond.

To my left lay Eli, a spear through his body, the ghost of his last cry for help on his lips.

Then there was my dad. And Katniss. And Rue. And so on, so forth.

I turned around to face Beck, looking just as shocked as I was.

"H-how…" I managed to stutter.

As he began to answer, an arrow pierced his neck.

"NOOOOO!" I shrieked.

And that was when I woke. The scream echoed throughout my room, so I was sure that I had been screaming moments before in my sleep.

I gathered up all my courage and looked around my room cautiously, and nearly screamed again until I saw who was standing near the end of my bed.

"Bad dream?" asked Haymitch. For once, he didn't have a drink in his hand, and he looked decent.

I gulped and nodded.

"The others are in the main car. Why don't you come get something to drink?" he asked me, true concern in his voice.

I sighed.

Haymitch extended his hand to me. I took it and he pulled me out of bed and practically dragged me down to the main car.

The others were still in their pajamas. Even Effie and Cinna.

Katniss wore satiny shorts and a sleeveless top. She was eating a piece of toast at the table. Next to her was Peeta, wearing a gray t-shirt and green pants. Cat wore a red sleeveless shirt and white pants, and she sat across from Peeta. Cinna wore a black t-shirt and gray pants. He sat across from Katniss, drinking slowly from a cup full of coffee. Effie wasn't even wearing her wig, revealing her natural blonde hair. She wore ridiculously fancy patterned silk pajamas, which were gold and silver.

As Haymitch walked me into the room, Cat immediately got up from the table and ran over to me.

"We heard you screaming. Are you alright?" she asked me.

I nodded, even though I was far from it. I had to remember what Snow said, about never showing weakness.

I walked silently back to the table with Cat and grabbed a roll and hot chocolate.

"So, you guys ready for District 5?" asked Cinna. I'm sure he knew who was from that district, and what they meant to us.

The death of Amelia and Andre played through my head. Amelia dying first, and Andre trying to fight his death, and Cat telling them that everything was going to be ok.

We all just nodded, but the pain was evident in our eyes.

Trying to change the subject to a different aspect of the district 5 stop, Effie started in about the fashion side of it.

"Everyone LOVES how we have stuck to the fiery outfits! Fire is all the rage in the Capitol. Wait until you see what Cinna designed for all of you! District 5 will practically SEE the heat radiating off of you!" Effie said.

That coaxed a smile out of all of us.

Haymitch checked his watch.

"You've got 45 minutes, go get ready," he said to no one in particular, but it wasn't too hard to tell who he was intending to hear him.

The four of us got up and practically trudged to our rooms.

**Peeta POV**

I stood under the water of the shower. It was freezing cold, but I barely noticed. The memories of the arena were overpowering every other sensation in my mind or body.

Every gory detail was coming back to me, crashing like waves into my mind.

Tears filled my eyes out of nowhere as I saw Andre and Amelia die for the millionth time.

I realized that time must have been running out, so I turned off the water and gave myself a minute to calm down.

Once the tears had stopped, I got out of the shower and dried off, then headed into my room with a towel around me.

I found undergarments and put them on. Then I looked to the end of my bed, where a nice looking suit lay.

I slipped on the pants and put on a belt. Then, I put on the undershirt and finally the jacket. I walked over to a mirror and made sure everything looked right, and then combed out my hair. I let it lay normally without any gel in it. Andre had been one of my biggest supporters in the "don't let the Games change you" theory, so I decided to leave my hair the way I would any other day.

There was a knock at the door that startled me out of my depressing thoughts.

"Peeta?" called Katniss.

"Yeah?" I called back, adjusting my suit a little bit in the mirror.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

I sighed and smiled.

"You don't have to keep asking that you know," I said. She opened the door with a scowl on her face that quickly turned to a smile.

I opened my arms for a hug, and she willingly obliged. I held her tightly and closed my eyes.

"Are you ok?" she whispered, seeing the pained expression on my face.

"It's just hard sometimes. The memories," I whispered back. She sighed.

"I know…"

We stood there in silence for a little while, then finally let go.

Without a word, we walked into the main car of the train, where the others were waiting.

**Katniss POV**

As we pulled up behind district 5's Justice Building, I thought of what I wanted to say. As always, I knew exactly what I had in mind. But I knew that it would come out way differently when I actually went to say it out loud. Like always.

We were ushered onto the stage, where people were screaming our names. I could see love rather than hatred in the eyes of the audience.

The usual routine began; the mayor spoke about us, a couple other things were said, and then it was our turn to talk.

First was Cat.

She talked about Andre first, since there was less to say for her. She and Andre had been friends, good friends, but not super close. She talked about how she admired his love for his sister, and how he was always in a pretty good mood. She talked about how he helped make every situation better.

And then she went on to Amelia.

She started pouring her heart out, recalling nights they spent together, all the things that Amelia told her, and every little detail you could ever imagine about Amelia. She was violating what Snow said in every way possible, and I feared for her brother's life. But Amelia deserved it, no matter what Snow did.

The crowd clapped quietly and respectfully as she sat down next to me.

Next was Jade.

She and Andre had been a little bit closer.

**Cat POV**

"Andre was a great man. He was funny, he was lighthearted, and could turn on the light in even the darkest of situations," said Jade, beginning her speech for District 5.

"He had an enormous amount of love for his younger sister, which I will always admire in him. He and I could easily relate in that sense….seeing as I had a little brother once too," Jade said with a slight smile. President Snow had said that she and I couldn't cry or show signs of sadness, otherwise defined as weakness, but he had never said we couldn't show happiness.

"He was also physically quite admirable. He was strong, very strong. His embrace gave you a sense of security. He could run like wildfire. There are countless things that I admired in him," Jade said. "Thank you for giving such a wonderful young man."

The crowd politely applauded her, and then she continued on to Amelia.

"Amelia was a great little girl. She, Cat, and Rue had made quite the team back in that arena. I can never thank Amelia enough for the happiness that she brought on to Cat and Rue," Jade said.

She went on and on about how Amelia, Rue, and I had been such great friends, how Amelia lightened every situation so much, and just other little things that made my heart twist with sadness at the realization that she is DEAD. D-E-A-D. And no matter how much she visits in ghost form, she won't ever be back for real.

Finally she concluded her speech, and district 5 clapped considerably loudly.

Next was Peeta.

He talked about how Andre had been like a brother to him, and was nearly in tears by the time he finished. Then he talked a little bit about Amelia. Though his speech was short, it had just as much affect as a long speech would have.

And last but not least, it was Katniss's turn.

"Wow…where do I even begin?" she said with a light laugh.

"Well for one, I just want to thank you for sacrificing such absolutely amazing tributes. They didn't deserve the fates that they had, and I wish there was something we could have done. So…thanks. A lot," Katniss said.

She basically went back and repeated everything that everyone had said about Andre, but added something interesting of her own.

"I see myself in him. I know that may seem odd, but everything about him resembles me in my eyes. His personality, his love for Amelia, his protectiveness of her. I will forever admire him for that," she said.

Then she went on to Amelia. And with the intensity of her speech, I was surprised she didn't weep through all of it.

"Just like with Rue, every time I looked at Amelia, I saw Prim, my little sister. Everything about Amelia speaks Prim, down to the way she talked," Katniss began through gritted teeth in an attempt to keep herself calm.

"I remember one of the first nights in the arena. I was keeping watch, and everyone else had fallen asleep. Or so I thought, until I heard Amelia's quiet voice pleading to me. My heart stopped when she did, because she sounded exactly like Prim. When I saw it was her, I immediately let her climb up and sit on my lap.

For what I can assume was three hours, the two of us talked about anything and everything. It started off with her talking about how she couldn't sleep no matter how hard she tried, because she was so scared that something was going to happen to Andre during the night. Then it went on to her life back here, which she said wasn't always perfect but she wouldn't want it any other way. She talked about her mom and dad, and how much she loved them.

She talked about what she would do if she somehow managed to get out of that arena alive. She wanted to be a writer or a painter. She talked about the things she wrote, the pictures she painted," Katniss said.

President Snow had only said that Katniss had to make everyone believe she was in love with Peeta. he said nothing about her always having to be strong. Which was good, because tears were pouring like buckets down her face.

"Just minutes before she had come up and talked to me, I was ready to just give up and accept that I was going to die. But she gave me hope. She is one of the sweetest, most amazing little girls I have EVER met, right along with Prim and Rue. No words could ever describe how thankful I am for your sacrifice. I'm sure her parents are proud of both her and Andre for what they did. I sure would be. So just…thank you, so much. And I am sure that both Amelia and Andre would like me to tell you how hard they both tried to win, and how much they love their parents," Katniss finished. She wiped the tears off of her face and tried to calm down.

The crowd was absolutely dead silent. Something was horribly wrong here.

Then, as though it was programmed into their minds at that exact moment, they all did the three finger salute to Katniss.

Jade gripped my hand hard. I looked up at her to see her biting her lip as hard as she could in an attempt to keep her face clean of emotion.

With a whimper, Katniss did the salute back.

She came and sat down again, and Peeta hugged her tight while she buried her face in his shirt.

The mayor came up and spoke once more.

**10:15 on the train – Peeta POV**

I lie in bed while tears soaked my face for the second time today.

I kept thinking of Katniss's speech in District 5. I kept thinking of Andre and Amelia, and them dying, over and over again.

"Peeta?"

The voice was quiet, but I could recognize it in a crowd full of screaming Capitol people.

I shot up in bed and saw a familiar figure standing there.

"Hey, man, why are you crying?" asked Andre, sitting next to me on my bed in his ghostly, transparent form.

I flopped back down against my pillows, closing my eyes again as a fresh set of tears made an appearance.

"I can't stop thinking about losing you and Amelia. It kills, man, it really does!" I said, almost yelling.

"You know we're always here, whether you see us or not," Andre said.

I sighed.

"I know. But it still hurts," I said in a quiet voice.

Andre sighed and paused a moment before continuing on.

"I just wanted to thank you. For what you said in District 5 today. It means a lot," Andre said. He smiled.

I nodded, and tried to smile but couldn't.

"I meant it you know," I said. Andre nodded.

"I know you did. That's why I'm saying thank you. And I really mean that, too," Andre said.

This time I was able to actually smile.

"Now sleep, dude. You look like you're about to pass out," said Andre, and I reached up to punch him on the arm jokingly, but it just passed right through him.

My smile faltered a little bit.

"Alright. Thanks for coming by. You should do that more often," I said.

Andre nodded. "Of course."

I took a deep breath.

"Goodnight," I said.

"Goodnight," Andre replied. He stood up and glided out of the room.

I pulled the covers up to my chin and closed my eyes.

Within moments, I was asleep.


	6. District 4

**A/N: Hey! Since it was so long of a wait for that last update, I'm doing another one really fast this time! Lol.**

**Here's district 6.**

**Cat POV**

I walked cautiously into Jade's room to wake her up. I feared for how she would handle going to Beck's district…he loved her, and she had loved him. For almost two months she would wake up crying for him when we got back and into the Victor's Village.

She was lying in her bed with a pained expression on her face, as though she were severely hurt. Her blankets were half on her and half of, exposing her tank top. I noticed that she was shaking slightly.

I tiptoed over next to her and got down on my knees. I reached out carefully and shook her shoulder lightly.

"Jade?" I whispered. I almost didn't want to wake her up. I didn't want her to have to face this.

Katniss and I were the first people that Haymitch/Cinna had woken up. Effie, Haymitch, and Cinna had all talked to the two of us.

"You know this is going to be hard on Jade especially, but Peeta too. You know how close they both were to Beck," said Cinna.

Katniss and I nodded, and I could see the worry on Katniss's face.

"I am going to leave it up to you two to wake them up, because the Lord knows that I can't wake anyone up gently," said Haymitch.

Katniss and I smiled a little bit, and waited for them to continue.

I could tell that Effie wanted to say something, but couldn't, really. President Snow KNEW that Cinna and Haymitch loved and supported us fully, but he still thought Effie was all into the Capitol and everything about it. That was the only reason he didn't hurt the three of them, because he figured Effie would keep them in line.

Effie turned to the two of us, with undeniable worry and hurt in her eyes. The type of hurt that's not for you, but for someone else.

She just sort of looked at us for a moment, but then returned to her usual perky self.

"And while you wake them up, I am going to check out our schedule and make sure everything is in perfect order!" she said.

She looked at Katniss and sort of nodded in a way, which I guess was some sort of signal. Because right afterwards, Katniss yelled "NO ONE CARES Effie!"

Effie acted as though she were brutally hurt, but there was something about her that made you know that this was all an act. No feelings were damaged, no one was really mad.

Cinna jumped in on the game, apparently picking it up.

"Katniss, apologize to Effie," he said.

Katniss sighed.

"Sorry," she said. Effie nodded.

The five of us sort of exchanged glances to assure that everything was alright, that it was still all an act. We all gave almost imperceptible nods of the head, and then Cinna sent us to wake the other two.

Anyhow, back to the present.

Jade stirred a little bit at my voice, but didn't wake.

I shook her a little bit harder, and spoke a little louder.

"Jadelynn," I said.

She opened her eyes slowly.

She sort of just stared at me for a little while, and then you could see her heart sink in her eyes. It was that dramatic, seriously.

I gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Time to get up. We'll be in district 4 in three hours," I said.

She nodded.

Trying to ignore the heaviness in my chest, I left her to get ready alone and then went into my own room.

**Katniss POV**

I walked into Peeta's room, where he was sleeping soundly. I didn't want to wake him up, because I knew all he would be greeted by is grief.

Nevertheless, I had to. I decided to kiss him awake.

I leaned down and kissed him lightly on the lips, then stroked his cheek.

He opened his eyes, and for a moment I could see happiness in them as he smiled up at me.

"Good morning beautiful," he said quietly in a voice that never failed to make my heart race a little faster.

I smiled.

"Hey Peeta," I whispered.

Peeta grabbed my hand, which was still stroking his cheek, and just held onto it.

"Peeta I know this is going to be hard," I said.

He sighed. His bottom lip began to quiver, and it wasn't that hard to figure out what he was about to do.

Willing myself to stay strong for him, I just sat down on his bed and opened my arms for him.

"Come here," I said softly. Peeta didn't hesitate to lean into them.

I ran one hand softly through his blonde hair while he fought the urge to cry. Usually it was him comforting me, so it was nice to know that I could help him out a little bit too. I wasn't glad that he was hurting, that killed me inside, but I was glad that I could help him not hurt so much. If that even makes sense.

We just sat there for a little while, and finally we pulled apart.

"I love you Katniss," he said quietly.

"I love you too," I replied, kissing him on the cheek.

"Now up you get, we'll be at the district in about two and a half hours. See you in a little bit," I said.

Peeta smiled a little bit and nodded.

I left the room to let him get ready.

**Effie POV**

I sat down on the District 4 stage with Haymitch and Cinna.

Even though I don't act like it on the outside, I really care about those kids. They're as close to children as I'm ever going to get, and to be honest, that's how I think of them. It hurts me to see them hurt.

Of course, no one else but me knows that. And if President Snow found out…let's not go there.

The mayor began his long and quite boring speech about how amazing the kids were. Don't get me wrong, I agree, but hearing that over and over again can get a bit annoying.

Finally, he stopped talking, and Katniss stood up to talk.

She talked a little bit about Foxface, seeing as she killed Foxface, and said that she admired her cleverness. Though, hard as Katniss tried, her hostility towards Foxface for killing Tori was not very well hidden. Oh well, she did her best.

Then she went on to Beck. She didn't talk much about what Beck meant to HER, even though I knew he meant quite a lot to her. She talked mostly about how thankful she was for Beck giving Peeta and Jade the amazing companionship that he gave them.

Next was Cat. She didn't say a WORD about Foxface. Therefore, her hostility was not masked at all. But she basically did the same thing that Katniss did; gush about what Beck had meant to Peeta and Jade. Her speech on top of Katniss's was a little difficult for the crowd to handle.

I believe that Peeta's speech was the most difficult of the one's we had heard so far.

**Peeta POV**

When Cat finished her speech, I glanced over at Jade, who was trying to compose herself. I decided since I had no rule against showing weakness, I would go first to give her a chance to calm down. Hopefully she could tune me out.

As I walked up to talk, I noticed something. There was only one family standing on the platform for the tribute's families. The red hair told that it was Foxface's family.

So Beck had no family either, not even a close relative. This just keeps getting better and better doesn't it?

Seeing as it WAS Katniss's fault that Foxface was dead, I did mention her cunningness and her cleverness. Just out of a little bit of respect. I mean, after all, it's not Foxface's fault that she had to kill Tori. She was doing what we were told to do; kill everyone so that you can get out.

Anyhow, back to the present.

"Beck was one of the greatest men I ever knew. He had been through a very rough life, but he never let the effects of that show. He never let his hostility towards the past he's had hurt anyone else but himself. That's just one of the many things I admired about him.

He also happened to be my best guy friend.

Whenever I felt like just talking to a guy on casual terms, I always went to him. I learned a lot about him during those times that we talked. I learned about how his parents died. I learned about his one and only friend that he had many years ago, Gale.

I always thought that after his parents died, he was put into a foster home or went with other close family. But now that I know he had no one here, it hurts even more.

Beck was an amazing guy that I will never EVER forget for a long as I live. He didn't deserve the fate that he got. I feel like I should have been able to save him.

But I couldn't. and now he's gone," I said, trying not to get choked up. I'd done that enough already.

"And there's only memories left of him," I said.

Tears poured down some of the faces in the crowd. Even Foxface's family looked a little bit touched.

"I could live a thousand lives and never be able to tell him thank you enough. But I'll try to at least get a fraction of it in now.

Thank you, Beck, for the friendship that I had never felt before I met you. It meant, and will always mean the world to me," I finished.

The crowd clapped loudly and chanted my name.

I sat back down, and Jade went up.

**Jade POV**

As I walked up, I tried to think of something good to say about Foxface. But there was too much rage inside of me towards her for killing Tori to find something even remotely nice to say.

So I decided to just go right in and talk about Beck.

"Beck is the most amazing man that I have ever met in my life. He was kind and caring. He was strong, both physically and emotionally. He could always make you feel like you were safe. He had a thing about him too. Once he started to love you, he never stopped, and he loved you unconditionally.

From the day that Tori died to the day that Beck was killed, Beck was one of the only reasons that I kept pushing through the pain in the arena. It was the thought of what might have happened if he too had gotten out of the arena that kept me going.

He was the only one who ever understood my feelings. The feeling that you had virtually nothing to go home to if we actually did make it out of there. The pain of losing your brother to the Games. He got it. He got me," I said. I took a moment to look down and bite the inside of my cheek.

_Stay calm Jade. If you don't, Snow will hurt Clove. STAY CALM, _I ordered myself.

I finally was able to compose myself again.

"If somehow you're hearing this, Beck, I love you more than I have ever loved another man before. You showed me what true love was. In that way, I mean. And though our time together was brief, I will always cherish every moment of it.

Like Peeta said, I could live a thousand lives and never be able to thank you enough for what you've done for me. For Peeta. for all of us.

I will always love you, Beck. And thank you," I said, concluding my speech.

The crowd went absolutely wild, but I was in too much pain to really care.

**Beck POV**

I watched on painfully as the woman I loved and still love shook violently under her blankets. She was probably crying her eyes out, but she was trying to hide it, so her family wasn't harmed.

I would give anything to be able to kiss her one more time. But obviously I can't.

I stayed and watched her until her shaking subsided and her breathing softened into deep, shallow breaths.

When I was sure that she was asleep, I leaned down and placed my lips upon her forehead. As expected, they sort of just went right through.

I sighed. Well, as much as a ghost possibly can sigh.

"It's time to move on

Even though you're not ready

You've got to be strong

And trust where you're heading

And even though it's not easy

We both know the right kind of love

Is the love that lets go," I sang softly to her.

Apparently she was a light sleeper, because she woke. She turned to me. Instead of being startled or absolutely ecstatic that she was seeing me again, she simply smiled.

"I know, Beck. I love you," she said wearily.

"I love you too," I said. "Now go back to sleep Jadey."

Jade took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"I know the right kind of love

Doesn't wanna miss the future

But stays in the past

It will always hold on

But never hold you back

And even though it's not easy

Right now the right kind of love

Is the love that let's go," I continued to sing.

She fell back to sleep again.

I let a tear slip from my eye as I looked on at the beautiful sleeping girl, her face illuminated by the moonlight.

I decided to stay there with her in case anything would happen and she would need a comforter. But I swore I would leave by morning. I didn't want to cause any unnecessary grief by having the others see me and start to miss me again.

I sat down in a chair next to her bed and just listened to the sound of her heartbeat.

**A/N: Good? Bad? Let me know in a review! Anonymous reviews are allowed, by the way!**

**For the record, the song I used was "Love that Let's Go" by Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus. It seemed fitting.**

**Anyhow, review please!**


	7. District 2

**A/N: Hello! I am skipping district 3 because there's no one there who was significant that died. So…on to two! Which is surely going to be ridiculously emotional because of Cato!**

**Ok, I'll shut up now.**

**Cat POV**

I stood under the water of my shower, which was freezing cold. I didn't feel like turning the water up to a higher temperature, so I just let it go.

Today we were going to district 2, where one victor and one fallen warrior came from. One of them is my best friend. The other one is the murderer of the man I loved.

I had long since forgiven Cato for killing Robbie. It was the heat of the moment, trying to get out alive. He was so overcome with hatred for everything going on that he forgot about everything else.

And since I had forgiven Cato, we became very good friends. And it is going to KILL to go back to his district.

But I'm not one to talk. I can't even imagine what it must feel like for Jade.

Cato was like a brother to her. After she was whisked off to the Capitol with him, he was the only connection to Clove that she had.

Obviously she had Clove now, but I wonder what it felt like not talking to him all those nights in the arena after that one fight she had with him.

I was startled out of my thoughts by a knock at the door.

"Come on Kitty, we gotta hurry up," said Katniss, sadness evident in her voice.

I sighed and turned off the water.

"Be out in a minute," I said.

_This is going to suck, _I thought bitterly to myself. The entire time all I would be think about was that Jade would be in some serious pain. And I can't STAND knowing that my best friend in the entire world is hurting like this.

I stepped out of the shower and into the dryer thing. It took only about 30 seconds for me to be completely dry. My hair was untangled and dried too, so that it fell down neatly on my shoulders in a curtain of red.

I wrapped a towel around me and went out to find clothes laid out for me. After putting them on, I trudged out to the main car.

**Katniss POV**

I sighed as I saw Jade walk into the main car, looking wrecked. She looked physically ok, but the look on her face and the pain in her eyes could not be missed.

I immediately jumped up and wrapped my arms around her. We just stayed like that in silence for a little while.

When Jade finally let go of me, she was able to maintain her composure on the outside. But I could read her like an open book just by looking at her eyes.

She was dying inside. But she could never admit that out loud.

"Let's get a little something to eat," suggested Peeta, who had come up behind us.

Jade nodded and went to sit down, while I stayed behind to talk to Peeta.

"Peeta, I'm worried about her. I don't know if she's going to be ok…" I said, glancing at the raven haired girl trying to keep herself from breaking.

Peeta took me in his arms and held tight.

"I know. All we can do is hope for the best," he said.

I looked up at him. He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead.

Cat walked in the room, looking pretty worried too.

She didn't say a word to us. We just sat down with Jade, Cinna, Effie, and Haymitch.

**Peeta POV**

We pulled into the train station behind the Justice Building of District 2. District 2 looked pretty nice…not nearly as good as the Capitol, but better than the other districts.

Anyway, looks are not the main focus right now.

The four of us were silent as our team guided us out onto the stage.

We went through the same old routine. The mayor talks about us, some other stuff happens, and then its our turn.

I decided to go first since the girls seemed pretty shaken up. Jade was trying desperately not to cry, Cat seemed very distant, and Katniss seemed intent on trying to keep the two of them together.

I walked up to the podium where the microphone was and looked out at the audience. Cato's family stood there silently as they waited for me to begin.

"From this district, two heroes came about. One of them died fighting for something he believed in. the other stands with us today," I began. Wow, that sounded good…

"The man who died didn't die in vain. No, Cato died for a cause. He died because he was trying to bring glory and pride to his district, which truly meant a lot to him.

Cato was a great man at heart. Jade over here has told countless stories about their times together. She told about the many sides you see to him. You see his lethal side, the one you saw for most of the Games. You see his compassionate side, the one you only see when no one else is watching him.

I will forever respect Cato, even though he did some things in that arena that I don't think he would be proud of. Even though he acted the way he did in the arena. I want to thank you as a district for presenting the Capitol with such an amazing man. And I want to thank you also for presenting such a beautiful, kind, and overall amazing young woman," I said turning to Jade. She smiled at me. Katniss flashed me a thumbs up.

The audience clapped enthusiastically as I went to sit back down. Cat decided to go next.

She talked about how Cato was compassionate, how he was Jade's connection to home and Clove and everything. She talked about how she knew that Robbie died because of him but that she had long since forgiven him. She apologized over and over for throwing him off the edge of that Cornucopia, saying she wished she hadn't and that she had done something else. She said that she really respected him and wished that she could say that now.

Next was Katniss. She basically repeated everything that was said previously and added a few things of her own, like the night that Cato died. What she was feeling. What she thought Cato was feeling. How she only shot an arrow through his head because she didn't want him to suffer any longer.

The audience seemed to accept that and they applauded her very loudly when she finished.

And then it was Jade's turn.

**Jade POV**

I took long, deep breaths as I walked up to the podium. The sound around me was "blurred", almost as if I were underwater. My vision refused to focus, and I didn't really trust my balance.

As I reached the podium, I took a minute to regain my senses.

When I was able, I began to speak.

"Where on Earth do I even begin with this speech. I mean, I'm standing here in my district, my home place, something I never expected to be able to do once my name was called at the Reaping over a year ago. I can see so many familiar faces right now," I began, smiling at someone I used to talk to a lot during school.

"I-I can see the Meadow from here…wow that place means a lot to me. That's where Clove and I first met.

And that's where she introduced me to Cato," I continued, willing myself to not let a single tear fall.

"I remember that day so clearly," I said, and then began to divulge every vivid detail about that day.

"_And big girls don't cry," Clove and I finished in perfect harmony._

_The two of us were just 14 years old. We had met just a year ago to that day._

_We were singing another song that she had discovered not long ago. The two of us had been able to relate to it so much that we became obsessed with that song._

_Clove turned to me with a smile on her face._

"_You sounded great," she said._

"_You too," I replied._

_She sighed and jumped down from our rock._

"_So there's a guy that I met at school. I don't love him like a boyfriend. But he's become a real good friend of mine. Wanna meet him?" Clove asked._

"_Yeah, of course," I said._

"_Cato, c'mere!" Clove called out._

_A young boy about our age walked into our view. He had blonde hair that spiked up. He was a little bit taller than us. He had a gleaming smile and just an all-around warm feeling to him._

"_Jade, this is Cato. Cato, this is Jade," Clove said._

_Cato extended his hand._

"_It's nice to meet you," he said as I shook his hand._

_I smiled. "Nice to meet you too."_

"_You two were singing really well. Would you like to hear a song that my father heard a while back?" asked Cato._

_I shrugged. "Sure."_

"_Tonight_

_We are young_

_So let's set the world on fire_

_We can burn brighter_

_Than the sun," Cato sang in a clear, perfect voice._

"And from the day forward, the three of us were like three peas in a pod.

Cato and I got into a fight before the Games. We got separated, and we didn't even come in contact with each other for the whole entirety of the Games.

Until that night.

I still replay the moment he died. We looked at each other for a brief moment before he went, and that split second of a locked gaze still haunts my dreams.

Cato is the third man in my life to have made a difference. Cato is the third man in my life that I have loved," I said. I was trying so hard not to cry.

"I love you Cato and I think about you every day. But I know you're up in Heaven now, taking care of Eli and having a good time with Beck. Thank you for all you've ever done for me and Clove. I could live a thousand times and never be able to repay you entirely for that," I concluded.

The audience went absolutely INSANE.

I sat back down and leaned into Katniss's welcoming arms as the ceremony finished.

**11 PM – Train – Cat POV**

I sat silently on the edge of my bed. There was a knock at my door.

"Come in," I whispered, standing up.

A very distressed looking Jade opened the door and walked in.

She just looked at me for a couple seconds before collapsing into my arms in a heap of tears and grief. The camera wires had broken, so this was our only time to let out all of the bottled emotions that we have kept for so long.

I just stood there as she sobbed into my shoulder.

Now the two of us were laying in my bed. I was propped up on one elbow looking at her while she just stared up at the ceiling.

I surveyed the broken and damaged girl laying next to me. I had always thought that she would be the one comforting me. I never knew that a girl as strong as she could ever be so…well, broken.

"Don't cry Jade. I'm right here."

The voice startled both of us. I looked up to see Cato in ghost form standing over my bed.

"Cato!" Jade cried, jumping up.

Cato went from nearly transparent to looking solid as Jade practically jumped on him.

The two of them just stayed like that for a while before I coudnt help but do the same.

Jade and I both ended up crying to him about how we missed him.

I also cried to him about how I never should have killed him.

"No, Cat. You did what was right. I was a monster out there. I killed Robbie. And besides, this was my destiny. I know that I am right where I belong. Watching over you guys and taking very good care of Eli," said Cato.

He took us by surprise by picking us up and laying us down in the bed.

He pulled the covers over us and then lie between us.

"Will you stay until we fall asleep?" asked Jade desperately.

"Of course," said Cato.

He took each of our hands in his own.

"Close your eyes," he instructed. We did as we were told.

"Sing?" I asked, and a pang in my heart followed as I thought of Rue's last request.

"Sure," he replied.

I completely relaxed and waited for him to sing.

The song he sang was supposed to be really upbeat and loud. But he turned it into a beautiful, calming piece.

He began in a deep, calm voice.

"Tonight

We are young

So let's set the world on fire

We can burn brighter

Than the sun…"

**A/N: I am SO SO SO SO SO SORRY for making you guys wait that long! I have just been so overly busy with end of the year school stuff and trying to get caught up on sleep that I haven't been able to work on this much. **

**Just so you know, I made a wiki for this as suggested by a user on here who will remain anonymous. I guess it's good, you know, to be able to develop on this and things like relationships without taking forever and writing it all on here.**

**So yeah. It is "thgvictoriousstyle . wikia . com" without the spaces. I don't have much on there right now but I'm working on it.**

**Hope you like this! **


	8. District 1

**A/N: Hello! Sorry for not updating. Been really busy.**

**Please make sure to READ THE A/N AT THE END! I have ideas and I would like some feedback **

**K, on to the story.**

**Katniss POV**

Every time we went to a district, someone would wake up all angry or sad or stunned or just really out of it. Cat was like that in district 6. Jade was like that in district 2. Peeta was like that in district 4.

And now it's my turn.

From the second I woke up, pure dread washed over me like a heavy blanket that I can't seem to get out of.

My dreams had been haunted with the memories of Tori's death. Cato and Foxface showing up, the three of us just standing there sort of stunned.

Foxface's knife going into Tori's chest…

I tried to shake my head clear of the horrible memories that continued to flood my brain, the terrifying images. But, as usual, they just wouldn't go away. And they probably never would.

It was not until I opened my eyes that I noticed the layer of sweat covering my whole body and the pounding in my head.

"Ugh," I groaned, closing my eyes again and scrunching up my nose in pain.

"Well that's not a pretty face. Smile, it looks better on you."

Ok, my ears definitely had to be fooling me.

I shook my head again, trying to get the hallucination of hearing her voice to go away.

"I'm not going anywhere."

I groaned again and opened my eyes, not expecting to actually see her standing there.

I must have jumped pretty hard, because I slammed my head into the headboard of my bed.

I heard her snickering and couldn't help but smile myself.

As I continued to stare at her, cheekbones and all, my smile faltered, leaving me with my usual frown.

"I miss you Tori," I said quietly.

Tori sighed and sat down on the edge of my bed, her transparent form making it easy for me to see the time on the clock behind her. 7:50. We get to district 1 in four hours and ten minutes.

"I know. I'm sorry for not visiting you as much, like I promised," said Tori.

"No don't you apologize for anything. I'm just glad to see you," I said, forcing a smile back on my face.

It must have been convincing enough – or Tori just didn't want to bother me about it – because Tori smiled back, her smile just as bright as it had been in life.

The two of us just sat in silence for a while, basking in the other's presence like we hadn't for a long time.

"You can't just keep hanging on to us. It's been almost a year, Catnip," Tori said with sincerity in her eyes.

I don't know what it was. The tone Tori used, what she said, her presence alone, or the fact that she called me Catnip. But I just broke.

I ran my hand through my hair as tears began to slide down my rosy cheeks.

"I know it's been a year. And we all TRY to forget, but with these nightmares every night, it's so hard! And I don't…I don't want to forget p-people like you. I just…" I said, trying to find words to say.

Tori reached over and tried to wipe the tears off my face, but couldn't, because she was not in her solid form. The simple action made more tears well up in my eyes.

"Katniss, I'm not saying you should forget," Tori said soothingly. "I'm just saying that you should let go, stop letting us keep you back from what you could be doing with your life."

I sighed and stared down at my bed sheets for a little while.

"We try doing that too," I said sort of stupidly.

Tori chuckled a little, but soon returned to seriousness.

"When you go to my district, can you do me a favor?" asked Tori.

I nodded. "Anything."

Tori smiled a little bit.

"Can you tell my mom and Trina that everything is going to be ok? I've seen them lately. Trina is still in shock, literally. My mom can barely do anything but is giving her all to keep both her and Trina going," said Tori, her voice sounding suddenly strained.

I nodded again.

"Of course, Tor," I promised.

Tori smiled and sniffled.

"I'm going to go say hi to the others real quick. Everything's gonna be ok Katniss. Do you trust me?" Tori asked.

"You have asked me that question a million times at least. Yes, I trust you. And…thanks. I feel a little better now," I said quietly.

Tori smiled and nodded.

She waved at me silently before dissolving into the air.

Rejuvenated by seeing her again, I immediately got up and got into the shower, preparing for a long day in district 1.

**Peeta POV**

Breakfast was silent. And by silent, I mean dead silent. You couldn't hear anything but the sound of food being eaten and cut and stuff.

A sudden thought came to my mind. The Quarter Quell was coming up. What on earth could they do this year?

A horrid thought came to my mind, but I immediately dismissed it. I know the Capitol is cruel, but THAT cruel? I mean…come on…someone would stop that! Surely!

The uneasy feeling in my stomach lingered as we pulled into the train station behind district 1's Justice Building.

"You know the drill. Jade, Cat, no crying. Katniss, Peeta, you're in love. Go get 'em tigers," said Haymitch, bringing out a much-needed laugh in all of us.

We walked on stage, where we were greeted with immense applause. Surprisingly, I didn't see hatred in anyone's eyes. Not even Marvel's family looked angry.

The four of us took our places and the usual routine began. It was so routine for us that I could literally time how long it was going to be until we would start our personal speeches.

Exactly on the moment that I estimated, the mayor called one of us up to the podium. Deciding that since my speech would be relatively short compared to the other girls', I might as well go first.

"Well…first off, I would like to thank you all for presenting two amazing tributes into the Games. Marvel…we may have had some issues with him, but I admire him for his determination," I said, figuring that sounded good enough.

"And Tori…I'll leave most of the gushing to the girls, since, you know, that's what they're good at," I began, pausing while the audience laughed at my little crack at a joke. I turned back to Katniss who tried to scowl at me but ended up laughing.

"But I do have a little bit to say. If there's one thing that Tori was, it was that she was a loyal and loving friend to all three of the girls who sit behind me. She made them HAPPY. And the happiness of these girls, especially my girl Katniss, is the one thing that I live for," I said. While that would sound like gushing and dramatizing to anyone else, that was the 100% truth, no exaggeration included.

"So I can never thank her enough for being so loving to these girls. Thank you," I said, concluding my speech.

As usual, the crowd erupted into a mix of cheering and crying as I went to take my seat.

Cat went up next. She and Tori really hadn't had a lot of bonding time, but Tori was the first person to really "accept" Cat into the group of girls that formed an ally in the arena. Tori was the first person in that training center, other than Rue, who she had ever trusted.

And basically, that's what she said in her speech.

Up next was Jade.

She recalled the second night in the arena.

**Jade POV**

the first real bonding time that Tori and I had was the second night in the arena. And I remembered every detail of it.

_I sat on the branch where I had last night during my watch. All of us had survived the first two days thankfully. We were in good health conditions. We were mainly just scared._

_As I looked out into the night sky, knife in hand, I heard leaves rustle below._

_My protective instincts immediately kicking in, I leaned over to get a look at what was going on. Someone was trying to climb up the tree, and I saw a knife in their hands too._

"_Move another inch and I throw this," I said._

"_It's kind of hard to stay still when you're shivering so hard," said an all to familiar voice._

_I let out a large gust of air and shoved my knife into the tree._

"_Throw your knife up at me. I'll catch it, don't worry," I said. Moments later, the handle of a knife flew up by my face. I grabbed it and stuck that knife into the tree too._

_Leaning over as far as I dared, I stuck out my arms down towards her._

"_Come here," I said. Tori grabbed on to both of my arms and I guided her up the maze of branches. Seeing as there was really nowhere else, I sat her down in my lap._

_Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around Tori and she leaned into me._

"_I bet your sleeping bag was warm. Why'd you leave it?" I asked a shivering Tori._

"_I can't sleep. I need someone to talk to. Why are you being so nice?" asked Tori after answering my question._

_I almost asked her why she asked that, but then I realized that no one had seen my real soft side like this yet._

"_I'm not the coldhearted girl everyone sees me as. What do you want to talk about?" I asked her._

_Tori nodded in understanding, then shrugged._

"_What's your life like back at home?" she asked me suddenly. I tensed up, and she immediately started apologizing._

"_I'm so sorry, I completely forgot about last year, I shouldn't have-"_

"_It's fine," I said, relaxing my muscles to prove it._

_Tori sighed._

"_My life's not absolutely horrible, you could say. It's just my dad and I, because my mom died years ago. But I have a best friend too," I said, almost sounding childlike._

"_What's her name?" asked Tori. Her trembling was starting to subside._

"_Clove," I said._

I took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself down.

"That night we talked for probably an hour. And she fell asleep in my arms. I guess you could say she was my first best friend in the arena.

I love you Tori, always will," I said.

The crowd clapped louder than I have ever heard in my life as I took my seat next to a shaking Katniss.

**Cat POV**

I watched as Katniss stood up at the podium and began her speech.

She too recalled a memory. She recalled Tori's death, bit by bit. Most people would call this evil and insane, to relive something like that aloud to people who missed her. but I saw the sense in it. It's a way of letting go.

"Trina, Mrs. Vega, I think your daughter would want you to know how much she loves you, and that everything will be alright," Katniss said. The two women whom Katniss mentioned smiled tearfully up at Katniss from the Tributes' Families Platform.

"Tori hummed a lot. There's this one song that she was humming one day, and I recognized it. My father had great taste in music, and he knew lots of songs from all kinds of different 'genres' he called them. He sang this once while we were going for a walk. I think Tori would like it if I sang it to you," Katniss said.

I smiled. I loved when Katniss sang. Her voice was pure and clear, like her father's.

"My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you

I've been running round in circles in my mind

And it always seems that I'm following you, girl

Cause you take me to the places that alone I'd never find

And even as I wander I'm keeping you in sight

You're a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter's night

And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might

And I can't fight this feeling anymore

I've forgotten what I started fighting for

It's time to bring this ship into the shore

And throw away the oars, forever

Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore

I've forgotten what I started fighting for

And if I have to crawl upon the floor

Come crushing through your door

Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore," Katniss sang, her voice softening at the very end.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Tori in ghost form peeking out from behind the stage. She was smiling.

"We miss you Tori. Thank you for everything," Katniss said.

The crowd went wild again, and soon the mayor had finished the ceremony.

For the first time in a long time, we all felt something that had been missing from our lives.

Security.

And nothing could make that day bad. NOTHING.

**Mr. Everdeen POV**

I smiled down at my baby girl, who was singing in a voice clearer than the water of the bluest ocean.

Later that night, I watched as she crawled up next to that young man named Peeta, who had sworn to love and protect her for as long as he lived.

The two of them lay quietly until they both fell asleep.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and spun around to see Tori standing there.

"Come on. Let's leave them to their sleep," she said in a gentle tone.

I smiled at her and the two of us did exactly that.

**A/N: I'm sorry if this doesn't make sense.**

**Ok, two things. One, does anyone here like Glee? I want to do a Glee story but I need some ideas. Let me know!**

**And two, I don't want to sound mean, but I really would like some reviews. They are what motivates me to write another chapter, and they let me know what I need to fix. If you could review, that would be MUCH APPRECIATED.**

**Thanks so much **


	9. Family Time

**A/N: So I just want to give another HUGE shout-out to "knd number 7" on here. They have been the biggest supporter EVER of this series, and I can't express how much that means to me. **

**So this is just kind of going to be a filler. I have to figure out what I'm going to do in between here and the Quarter Quell announcement. Plus I just like some fluff haha I hope you enjoy this after all the sad district visits.**

**Katniss POV**

I woke up to sunlight streaming in from the tinted windows of the train. As Effie always said, the train's movement was comforting, not disturbing. The familiar smell of red – not white, red, mind you – roses filled the room.

I turned in the arms of my lover to face him. He looked peaceful for the very first time in 11 days as he slept. There were traces of a smile around his mouth. His breathing was slow and deep, his heartbeat relatively slow.

His heartbeat. The only thing that could truly calm me down at night was the sound of his heartbeat. Because it was a reminder that he was still alive, that we were still alive, that our families were still alive.

Not realizing what I was doing, I found my fingers tracing his jawline. His eyes fluttered open at the contact.

He immediately smiled when he saw me. "Good morning beautiful."

I smiled. "Good morning."

Peeta leaned down and kissed me lightly on the lips, then the two of us got up and headed out into the main car.

We were stopped in our tracks by the people there.

Everyone was there. The living and the dead.

"Oh look who decided to wake up!" called my father. Little Rue stood next to him.

I glared at him but smiled and ran into his arms. At first I was surprised at how human he seemed, but then I remembered he's been a ghost for so many years, he's probably been able to master the ghost techniques.

When I let go, I looked down at Rue, who was smiling up at me with her ever-so-dazzling smile.

"Oh, do you want a hug too?" I asked her teasingly.

"Well duh," she said. I laughed and hugged her like I would Prim; I picked her up and she wrapped her arms and legs around me.

I set her down and went around and hugged everyone else.

"So what brings you all here?" asked Jade, who had just finished hugging everyone as well.

"We figured you could use a little extra company on the way home," Robbie said with a cheeky little smile.

"Well you figured right," said Haymitch with a smile. "I can't deal with these people alone."

Effie laughed and smacked him on the arm, causing everyone else to laugh along with her.

We all sat down somewhere in the room and just talked for hours and hours. Well it felt like that.

"And this girl can sing, let me tell you!" said Robbie, pointing to Cat. Cat blushed and looked down.

"Ain't that the truth," said Andre. Cat's face was so red it was laughable.

Suddenly an idea popped into my head.

"I could go for a little…what did they call it, Daddy?" I asked my dad, involuntarily calling him Daddy. My dad beamed at me.

"Karaoke?" he suggested.

"That," I said with a smile.

Everyone looked around at each other, seeming to approve of that idea.

"I say it's a go. Seriously, all of you have amazing singing voices. I never would have guessed that much sound could come from you guys," said Cinna. We all smiled sheepishly at his compliment.

"What first?" asked Jade.

**Peeta POV**

"Has anyone ever heard of Carrie Underwood? She was a REALLY famous singer way back in the years of like, 2012. I know, long time ago. But seriously…she's AMAZING," said Cat, gushing about her favorite artist.

And actually, I did know who Carrie Underwood was. Quite well actually. See, I took a historical music class when I was at school. We went over the different genres. One of the ones we went over was called "country music". Carrie was one of the top people.

The smiles on everyone's faces seemed to confirm that everyone knew her.

"Favorite song?" asked Tori.

"Good Girl," chorused almost everyone in reply.

The adults in the room hung their heads. Of course we would all like one of her "rougher" songs.

"Hey good girl, got your head in the clouds! I bet you I can tell you what you're thinking about!" Katniss began out of nowhere with her stunning voice.

"You'll see a good boy, gonna give you the world! But he's gonna leave you cryin' with your head in the dirt!" sang Jade with an equally amazing voice. They really had the feel of the song, if you get what I mean.

"His lips are drippin honey but he'll sting you like a bee! So lock up all your love and go and throw away the key!" belted out Cat, her voice coming out clear and concise. I smiled at the three girls.

"Hey good girl, get out while you can!" pitched in little Rue, her voice sounding much more childish but good nonetheless.

"I know you think you got a good man!" sang Tori.

"Why, why you got to be so blind! Why don't you open up your eyes! It's just a matter of time," we all sang together.

"Till you find!" sang Amelia.

"He's no good girl. No good for you. You better get to gettin' on your goodbye shoes," I sang with a prissy girl voice on purpose. Everyone laughed.

"And go. Go. Go-Better listen to me, he's low. Low. Low!" sang Jade.

We went on in with the second verse, and then we were all surprised when the one and only Effie Trinket decided to belt out the bridge.

"He's no good girl, why can't you see! He'll take your heart and break it, listen to me, yeah!" she belted, shocking us all with her amazing voice.

We continued and finished with the rest of the song.

When we ended, everyone was high fiving and laughing.

This was just one of those only times where you feel HAPPY with this life. And I was basking in it, enjoying every last second of it.

Haymitch looked out the window and sighed.

"We're almost to District 12's train station," he said.

I felt my heart fall a little bit.

"Don't worry. We'll be back soon, promise," said Rue. I smiled.

She came up and kissed me on the cheek, like a daughter would to a father.

**Jade POV**

My heart swelled with awe at the sight of Rue kissing Peeta's cheek. That was just the sweetest thing ever.

"See you soon," said Katniss's dad. We waved goodbye, and then they all disappeared into thin air.

**15 Minutes Later**

The seven of us walked slowly up to the Victor's Village. We were all very antsy because we wanted to see our loved ones.

In the yard was a scene that will stay with me for as long as I live.

Clove, Prim, Frankie, and one of Peeta's brothers were out in the front yard of my home. They were running, jumping, dancing around, and singing with the brightest smiles ever on their faces.

We watched on as Clove scooped Prim up into her arms and they spun around in circles until they fell into the soft white snow.

With this life we live each day, it's so hard to feel like you don't have a care in the world. It takes a lot to make us feel like that. But judging by the way that my three other best friends stared on at the scene with smiles and teary eyes, I would say that this scene was finally able to do that.

Frankie looked up and noticed us, and I put my finger up to my lips. He nodded.

I snuck up behind Clove, who had stood back up.

Once I was right behind her, I whispered in her ear.

"Boo."

She shrieked so loud that I swear my ears started to bleed.

"You should have screeched louder. I'm not sure if that Capitol heard you or not," I said, laughing. I could see my ragged breaths in the frozen air.

Clove hugged me as tight as she could, as though it was her aim to break every bone in my body. I smiled and hugged her back.

"Missed you," she said quietly.

"Missed you too," I replied, closing my eyes for only a moment.

Clove smiled and then let me go, and I took dramatic breaths to tease her.

Katniss was carrying Prim in her arms, and Frankie was hugging Cat tightly. Peeta was smiling and talking to his brother.

"CLOVE WEST! WHAT ARE YOU-" began my dad, seeing that Clove had no coat or gloves or anything on over her shorts and t-shirt.

_Clove West. Guess Clove is officially part of the family, _I thought with another smile.

Dad's anger quickly turned in to happiness as he saw that we had returned from our 11 day trip.

"Alright, Clove AND Jade West. If you are going to stay outside, you will wear a coat," said Dad, still smiling.

I rolled my eyes playfully as he walked up and hugged me.

Mrs. Everdeen walked out of the house and gave Katniss a slightly awkward hug. They were still trying to work out the differences between each other regarding Katniss's dad's death.

Another familiar figure walked up from the street behind us.

"I believe I should receive a hug as well," Gale said all professional-like to all of us.

The four of us returning went up and hugged Gale. Gale held on to Katniss for the longest time. I smiled playfully at the two of them.

We stood quietly in the open air of the Victor's Village. Haymitch had walked to his house right after we had arrived here, and I could see him watching the television with a drink in his hand. Peeta's mother stared out the window, a hostile look in her eyes. Peeta's mother had never treated her family right. But Peeta, being the man that he is, loved her just the same.

"Oh, Gale, I figure I should ask you…we're having a big dinner at our house. Would you and your family like to join us?" asked Katniss's mom.

See, Gale's family still was relying on Gale's hunting and trading to keep food on the table. All of our families could EASILY provide for him, but he wouldn't take any of it. He was too modest and humble to do that.

"Oh no, but thanks. We're having a big dinner at home tonight. In fact, I should probably head home. Just wanted to say hi to you guys," said Gale. Something in his eyes said otherwise, but we had learned not to argue with him.

"Alright. Tell Hazelle and the kids that we all said hi!" said Cat cheerfully.

Gale smiled and nodded, waving at us as he headed back to his house.

**Cat POV**

"Well like I said, we're having a big group dinner at our house if anyone wants to come over," said Mrs. Everdeen.

"Yay! I love group dinners!" I said, my childish side reappearing for the first time in a long time.

My brother's eyes lit up. He always said that he was afraid of the Games changing me forever, taking away my childishness, my innocent manner. Anytime that side of me resurfaced, he always got so happy about it.

Jade smiled and shook her head.

"I'm going to change into something comfortable. Be over in a little bit," she said, and then she and her family walked into their house.

The others just sort of murmured their agreements and then headed to their own homes.

I decided to go ahead and do the same. These Capitol clothes were so…pristine for the most part.

As I sorted through my drawers in my room, I found a pair of what were called "sweatpants" and a light pink t-shirt. I took my hair out of its sophisticated braid and then combed through it. I decided to leave it down today.

I didn't bother grabbing a jacket, because I was only walking to the house next door.

When I walked in, I was immediately hit with the scent of Katniss's favorite meal, lamb stew.

Peeta and Jade were already there and changed into more comfortable attire, much like my own. They had already sat down at the table.

Frankie had gone over to Peeta's house to talk to Peeta's brothers, whom he had gotten along with very well since we all moved into this place.

Clove was sitting next to Jade on one side, and Prim sat on her other. Katniss sat next to Prim, and Peeta sat next to Katniss. Katniss's mother sat next to Peeta, leaving an open seat next to both Katniss's mother and Clove.

I took a seat next to Clove, and a plate full of steaming lamb stew was handed to me. I didn't hesitate to dig in.

As we ate our food and drank the most delicious hot chocolate I have ever had, we talked about our thoughts on the Victory Tour and what could happen in the future.

"Have you thought about the Quell?" asked Katniss's mother quietly.

I sighed. I had been thinking about it. I was wondering what would happen, if Clove and Prim were in danger.

"Yeah…what do you think they'll do, Mrs. Everdeen?" said Jade politely.

Mrs. Everdeen shrugged. "By the way, how many times do I have to tell you guys to just call me Elizabeth?"

Jade smiled. Katniss's mother had insisted that we call her by her first name rather than referring to her as Mrs. Everdeen, yet she continued to call her Mrs. Everdeen.

Jade's smile vanished as she wondered what could possibly be done for the third quell.

The first two were terrible. The first one, the twenty fifth Games, called for a vote on who to send into the arena. The second one called for twice as many tributes to be put into the Games, but still only one of them could arise victorious.

That was the one that Haymitch won.

I tried to think of all the possibilities. Sending in THREE TIMES as many tributes? Sending in people over the age of 18? Sending in the relatives of the victors, if they had any?

Sending in the victors themselves again?

No. no, that's IMPOSSIBLE. I know the Capitol is cruel, but to do that? That would be unthinkable.

"Let's not worry about that. Let's just enjoy the food and have a great night," said Prim, trying to boost our spirits.

And we did exactly that.

**Prim POV**

I lay quietly in bed next to Katniss. Though there was plenty of rooms for us to each have our own room, I had wanted to stay with Katniss like the old times.

"Will you promise me something?" I asked Katniss.

She turned to me.

"Anything," she said honestly.

I sighed.

"Will you promise that if I get reaped for the Quell that you'll at least try to carry on?" I said, knowing that because of who I was, the odds were again not in my favor.

I mean seriously. For one, I was saved by my sister last time, who is one of the FOUR people who broke all the rules of the Games by having them all get out of the arena. My odds are basically nothing to everything if that makes any sense to you.

Katniss's eyes were really shiny in the moonlight all of the sudden.

She pulled me close to her and didn't say a word. I could feel liquid running down the back of my neck, and I didn't have to think too hard to tell what it was.

"Katniss, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that," I said, turning around in her arms to face her.

She had tears streaming down her face. Just what I was afraid of.

"Don't cry. It's ok," I said, wiping them off of her face.

She smiled at me.

"I just don't want anything to happen to you, little duck," she said.

Little duck. That nickname has so much behind it.

My eyes started to get misty.

"But if anything does, I will do everything in my power as a human being to save you," Katniss said, with such sincerity it scared me.

"And if you can't?" I squeaked.

"If I can't, then you must always know that I'm right here and that you'll never be alone no matter where you end up," Katniss said, taking my hand in hers.

I smiled.

"I believe you," I said honestly.

Katniss chuckled under her breath. She removed her hand from mine.

"Good. Now let's get some sleep," she said quietly, brushing the hair in my face away.

I grabbed her hand again.

"Goodnight, Katniss," I said and closed my eyes.

"Goodnight, little duck," she replied softly.

When I had almost fallen asleep, as if on cue, Katniss's soft voice rang out in my ears.

"Deep in the meadow

Under the willow

A bed of grass

A soft green pillow," she sang.

"Lay down your head

And close your eyes

And when they open

The sun will rise," I finished for her.

She squeezed my hand tighter. That was the last thing I remembered before I fell asleep.

**A/N: TADA! I know this jumps like all over the place but hope you enjoyed the fluffiness! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE WITH AN ADORABLE PRIM ON TOP, PLEASE REVIEW!**


	10. The Proposal

**A/N: So I decided to just go ahead and pick up right where I left off last chapter. I know the first event that is going to happen in this chapter, but I'm not sure what else is going to happen. I guess we shall see.**

**And from the romance stand point for Cat and Jade…ideas are forming, let's just say that. (Lol. That reminds me of "Fire is Catching". K I'll shut up now.)**

**Disclaimer (since I have not done this yet): All rights go to Dan Schneider for Victorious and to Suzanne Collins for The Hunger Games.**

**Peeta POV**

I woke up earlier the next morning. As I turned to my side, I looked at the digital clock next to me, which read 7:15 AM. Wonderful.

For a moment I just lay there on my light orange bed sheets, covered with a blanket that we had taken from my old home above the bakery. The air in the house was chilly, but not as cold as it would have been should we be in that room above the bakery like old times before all of THIS happened.

In all honesty, everything that's happened is not too bad. I was reaped into the Hunger Games, where I could have died. But I made friends on the first day in the training center. We formed an alliance.

We soon met up with one of the other alliances in that arena: thankfully it was the good one. We formed one giant alliance and eventually conquered all.

But not without our losses. We went from our huge alliance of I think ten or so people down to four who actually made it out. Which is better than I could've hoped for, but still.

And not to mention, the love of my life and I finally got together. It started out as an act on her side and turned into something real.

Katniss. Katniss Lynn Everdeen. The most beautiful girl on planet Earth. And she was mine to love and protect forever and ever.

"Sounds like a marriage proposal," I whispered to myself. I turned in my bed and looked at the little box sitting on my bed. It held a ring that I intended to give Katniss soon, as a promise ring.

A marriage proposal. A MARRIGE proposal.

A marriage proposal!

It suddenly clicked in my head. There was only one way to convince Snow just how in love we are. I have to propose to Katniss Lynn Everdeen and turn her into Katniss Lynn Mellark.

And I have to do it in front of the cameras.

My heart fell. Of course I wanted to propose to Katniss. I wanted her to know how much I loved her.

I just wish it could be at the right time, the right moment. Not because I had to do it to keep us and our families alive.

I sighed, knowing my first order of business today was to get the cameras here and propose to Katniss. I had an idea though.

_This plan is perfect, _I thought with a smile on my face.

I decided to go ahead, get up, and make myself look nice and presentable.

With a groan, I pulled the blanket off of me and untangled myself from my sunset orange sheets. I stood up and headed into the bathroom to take a short shower.

I turned on the water first, making sure to set the shower to a gentle setting rather than the fierce setting it got set on the first time I used one of those complicated things.

I slipped off my pajamas and then stepped under the water.

The wonderful thing about Capitol technology is that if you don't feel like doing anything, if you're still tired and don't really want to move or think (aka how I was right then), you don't have to.

All I had to do was close my eyes so that no soap got in my hair, and the many showerheads and soap dispensers moved around me for about ten minutes. And once the water shut off, I just had to step out of the shower and into the drying machine for about 30 seconds and I was good to go.

So ten minutes and thirty seconds later, I was hunting for some comfortable but not over the top clothes to wear. I decided on a white collared shirt and standard black Capitol issued pants, like the ones on the train.

The only thing I did with my hair was comb it out and lay it down nicely. Katniss told me herself that she thought I looked best with my hair natural and not full of gel like the Capitol people liked it.

I put on a little cologne and headed out the door to the kitchen, where my mother was already busily at work with some pastries. I could see loaves of bread almost done in the oven.

"Would it absolutely kill the business if I took a loaf of that bread over to Katniss's house?" I asked my mother, pointing to the oven which had only a five minutes' time left on it.

"You will be home by 5 PM and you will help me make more bread if you do. Am I clear?" my mother said in return.

"Can it please-"

"No ifs ands or buts. 5 PM or no bread for your Seam girl," said my mother hostilely.

My face flushed red with anger. I hated how she always took stabs at Katniss for being poor and being from the Seam before the Games. Where she lived meant nothing! Why did my mother care so much about it?

"We've gone over this so many times, Mom. Why does where Katniss lived mean anything to you? She's just like you and me! She may even be a better person than us because she knows what it's like to have to fight so hard to keep her family alive!" I said. I wasn't yelling, just expressing my feelings.

My mother turned to me.

"You work in an esteemed bakery with a good reputation. She comes from a place where their black market sells stew with all kinds of different meats that they continue to call beef. Is that the kind of girl you want to be with?" my mother asked me in just the same tone as I had used.

"It is the kind of girl I want to be with. Because she has suffered hardships that have changed the way she looks on at life. What we see as a loaf of bread she sees, or at one time saw, as a lifeline," I said, my affection and admiration for Katniss bubbling over.

Uh oh. My mother just caught on to something.

"You threw that burnt loaf of bread that you burnt to her, didn't you? You burnt it on purpose and gave it to her! You didn't feed it to our pigs who kept our business running did you?" my mother asked with a bewildered tone.

The oven went off, causing both of us to jump slightly.

I immediately got up from where I had sat down and got them out of the oven, setting them in their usual place. I got a cloth towel from a drawer and wrapped up the biggest loaf. The heat of the bread burned through it, but I didn't care.

Just then, my father walked in.

"Good morning. I see you're already working, dear," said my father.

She eyed me and then turned to my dad, nodding.

"Taking a loaf of bread over for the lovely lady, are you?" said my father with a genuine smile. My father adored Katniss and Prim, whilst my mother didn't care for them (obviously).

"I promise to make up for it tonight," I said, nodding.

"Don't you worry about it. I'll help your mother. Be home by 5 though," said my father. I smiled and nodded, then headed out the door and over to Katniss's house. But not before calling Haymitch.

"Hello?" he said, his voice slurred.

"Call up the cameras. Have them be at Katniss's house at nine."

"Ok."

**Jade POV**

Clove, Cat, and I were just talking on the phone with Katniss's mother, who had suggested we come over again for breakfast. Cat had come and stayed the night last night at my house in case you wonder.

As we stepped out into the cold air, I saw Peeta walking up to Katniss's house as well with what looked like a loaf of bread in his arms.

The three of us girls ran up behind him and stood next to him.

"Hey girls," said Peeta as we continued walking.

We knocked on Katniss's door, Peeta standing behind us.

The door opened and Prim stood there in an adorable blue dress. She smiled up at us.

"Hey guys," she said.

"Hey there Little Duck," said Clove, picking Prim up and spinning her around as we walked in.

"Oh hey Peeta, didn't know you were coming over," Prim said. She used the tone that one would use when chanting "Katniss and Peeta sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!"

Peeta blushed and laughed. He handed the warm bundle of bread to Prim.

"Take that to your mother, we can have some French Toast if you want," he said with a charming smile.

Prim's face lit up as though someone had given her a bar of gold.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" she said, and we all laughed as Prim skipped happily into the kitchen.

We took off our coats and hung them up, then walked into the kitchen where Elizabeth and Prim stood happily, Elizabeth already making some French toast.

"Where's Katniss at?" asked Clove, looking around just to make sure she hadn't just missed Katniss.

"Catnip is right here," said a familiar voice.

We spun around to see Katniss and Gale walking in, about a gallon of strawberries in a clear bucket being carried by Katniss.

"Hey guys. I bring strawberries," said Katniss, setting the bucket down on the countertop.

"Nooo, really?" teased Cat. We laughed.

I looked up at Gale, who was smiling his ever so charming smile. Wait. Ever so charming? Where did that come from?

Gale's gaze met mine, and my heart fluttered a little bit. His mysterious gray eyes were drawing me in.

I shook my head a little bit to clear it. This felt wrong. I loved Beck. He may be dead, but I still loved him, I am still devoted to him.

And Gale loves Katniss. There's no denying it, and even Peeta knows that. But he's ok with it as long as nothing happens.

"Hey, lovebirds? Back to earth," Katniss said, nudging me with her elbow. She was biting her lip in an attempt not to laugh.

I turned to her and then noticed that I had my hand on Gale's face, and Gale had been staring deeply into my eyes.

I quickly removed my hand and gave a nervous laugh.

"French toast is ready."

Everyone sat down at that table faster than you could say "who's hungry".

We ate together and discussed what was coming for us in the future. Us Victors would be whisked away to the Capitol soon to start mentoring. That was going to be horrible, knowing you were basically preparing these kids for slaughter.

All through breakfast, I couldn't help but notice that Gale kept looking up at me, and he'd look away really fast as soon as I noticed him.

**Katniss POV**

We finished our meal at about 8:50 in the morning, which was surprisingly early for all of us. Jeez, you can't get Prim out of bed until at least 9:30 most of the time. Trust me, I would know.

We started putting away all of the extra food and put the dishes in the dishwasher.

The whole time, I couldn't help but notice that Jade and Gale kept LOOKING at each other, the way that Peeta and I do. I think that Mr. Hawthorne has a little crush on Ms. West.

There was a knock at the door, and Peeta walked up to it. He opened the door, and Haymitch stood there.

"Come on in, guys," he said. He walked in, followed by a camera crew.

I eyed him evilly.

"Haymitch…" I said with a warning tone. Haymitch just smiled his usual drunkard smile, a bottle of whiskey in his hand.

Peeta pulled out a chair into the middle of the room and motioned for me to sit down.

I turned and looked at my sister, Clove, Cat, Jade, and my mother. They all shrugged. In a last resort, I turned to Gale.

He just shrugged too, but he smiled. So he knew what was going on. Or at least had an idea.

I went and sat down in the chair that Peeta had put out. I looked up momentarily and saw the red dot blinking on the cameras.

I turned back to Peeta, who stood up above me. He had a charming, sweet smile on his face.

And then, he got down on one knee.

Gasps sounded through the room. Even Haymitch, who I figured knew, looked shocked.

I turned to look at my family and friends behind me. Cat, Clove, and Jade's eyes were as wide as saucers. My mother was smiling like an idiot, along with Prim. Gale was smiling too, a look of disbelief registering on his face.

I turned back to Peeta once again.

"Katniss Lynn Everdeen," Peeta said quietly, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"From the second I laid eyes on you, I knew you were the one. I remember that when you were younger, you used to wear your hair in two braids instead of one like you do now. I used to watch you on your way home every day and think, 'what wouldn't I give to make her mine?'. And really, being reaped into the Hunger Games was a true piece of luck for me. Rather than cowering and being afraid to talk to you, I was kind of forced to, so that worked out well," Peeta said, and everyone laughed. I felt my eyes start to sting.

"In that arena, you were the one thing that kept me going. Being with you…those were the moments of happiness that gave me hope. Those moments made me think that we could get home, and live happily ever after, like in those fairy tales you always read to Prim. And look where we are now? And for me, it's all because of you. Because I would've given up a long time ago if it weren't for you," Peeta continued.

My eyes were watering now, but I was smiling.

"I cherish each moment that I have with you, and if you'll let me, I will do that for as long as we both live. I will love you and care for you and be your hero for as long as you'll let me in this life of ours," Peeta said.

"Katniss, will you marry me?"

Tears were flowing fast and heavy down my face, but I was just able to say my answer to him.

"Of course, Peeta. Yes, I will marry you!" I cried out, and he stood up.

I leapt into his arms and held tight as everyone around us clapped.

Peeta slipped the engagement ring on my finger and I turned to my friends and family.

Everyone was crying tears of joy, even Clove and Prim. Gale wasn't crying, but his eyes were full of tears that threatened to spill over.

I ran up and hugged everyone, picking up Prim and spinning her around when I got to her.

I paused for a moment when I got to Gale.

"Are you ok with this?" I asked him.

"Are you happy?" he asked me.

"Of course," I said, smiling.

"Then yes, I am okay with this. Besides, I may or may not have a crush on someone," he said.

"It's totally Jade," I said.

He blushed and hung his head.

"Oh come here!" I nearly shouted, and he hugged me tight.

One of the Capitol reporters came up to all of us, and Peeta grabbed my hand.

"How do you all feel about this?" the reporter woman asked.

"Our Katniss is getting married to the love of her life. We're happy, obviously!" said Cat, and I smiled even wider, if that was possible.

I smiled also at the fact that she said "our Katniss".

"What does the family think?" she asked Prim and Mom.

"My girl is happy with a man who will treat her right. I couldn't be happier," my mom said with a smile.

"Katniss and Peeta, sitting in a tree! Getting m-a-r-r-i-e-d!" Prim chanted.

Peeta just hung his head and laughed and I kissed Prim on the forehead.

"Ah, that's my little duck," I said.

The Capitol people wrapped it up and headed out.

Once they were gone, and Haymitch had headed home after giving drunken congratulations, Peeta and I turned to face our friends.

I gave an excited squeak and we hugged each other again.

"I say we celebrate this wonderful event with some strawberry ice cream," said Gale with a wide smile.

"I second that notion!" Jade said excitedly.

"Well, the lovely lady agrees with me. I'll make it!" said Gale, dashing into the kitchen.

"I'll help!" Jade said.

"Ooooh!" Clove said, doing a suggestive eyebrow dance.

"Oh shut up," said Jade, slapping her on the arm.

Jade and Gale headed into the kitchen to make some ice cream.

**Cat POV**

In this exact moment, sitting with my friends and the engaged couple, I was happier than I ever thought I would be after the Games ended.

If I could freeze time and live in this forever, I would.

**A/N: HOLY CHIZ. This chapter was loooong!**

**So I would just like to say that I totally love the idea of Jade/Gale. Anyone else agree with me?**

**Hope you liked this chapter! I wanted to make it as special as I could. As always, REVIEWS MAKE ME HAPPY! :D**


	11. A Warning

**A/N: Hello again! So I have been reading through the chapter summaries and trying to decide what I was going to do with this next chapter. I have ideas haha.**

**Oh, and so as you may or may not have figured out, Gale and Jade are getting a little "close". I know it seems like it just went from "Oh hey so you're Katniss's best friend too?" to "Heyyy there *winky face*" LOL. They've been talking a lot like before the Victory Tour just so that makes sense.**

**And don't worry, Cat won't be without love. You all shall see.**

**On with the story!**

**Jade POV**

I woke up, and I could immediately tell two things. One, this was NOT my couch. Two, someone's arms were around me, and the smell of burning coal signified who it was quite well.

This felt wrong. I felt that I was cheating on Beck. My heart belonged to him, not the man who I lay next to right now.

But why did I feel like this was the right thing to do?

"Because it is." Beck's voice filled my mind. I definitely had not concocted this myself. No, this was really him, inside my head.

"Beck! Really?" I said, in my mind of course.

"Yes really. Jade, it's time for you to move on. And I think Gale is the right person for you to move on with. If anything, will you do it for me? So that I know you can be as happy as possible again?" Beck's voice asked.

I sighed inwardly.

"Alright. I'll just see where this takes me. Us," I replied in my mind.

And suddenly his face was there, smiling bright as ever. "Good. Thank you, Jade."

I didn't even have time to reply before he was gone.

I decided to actually open my eyes and take in the scene around me. There were blankets draped over everyone, but I could make out who was who.

Gale and I were laying on one of the couches in the living room of Katniss's house. Katniss and Peeta occupied the other, in the same position as Gale and I. Not too far from the couch I was on, Clove and Prim were laying together. Clove was covered up with a blanket, and then Prim's head was on her stomach. Prim was covered up too. Cat was cuddled up next to Prim in her own blanket, her head laying on Prim's shoulder.

I tried to think back to why we were all here still, although we were all wearing pajamas.

Then it all came back to me. We had been up late playing games and talking, so we all just decided to crash here for the night. We had gone home only for a moment to quietly get some pajamas but came right back here. That makes sense now.

I heard Gale take in a deep breath of air, and I turned to face him.

He smiled down at me until he realized our position that we were in.

He immediately jumped off the couch, looking nervous.

"I – I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to – I – shouldn't have –" he stuttered, looking more nervous by the minute.

I laughed at him.

"Gale Jordan Hawthorne! There are children sleeping!" said a voice from below us.

I looked down and saw Clove smiling up at him, her hair all messed up. She had the worst bedhead hair EVER. Prim and Cat were both awake too.

_Gale Jordan Hawthorne…_ I thought, thinking about his name for the first time. It flowed so easily. It sounded perfect.

I shook myself out of my thoughts and looked back up at Gale.

"I should probably head home. Tell Catnip I had to go when she wakes up," said Gale, a smile on his face.

I returned his smile sheepishly as he headed out the door. Or at least tried to.

The second Gale opened the door, the smell of blood and white roses filled the air.

Katniss started stirring in her slip, and then she started choking and gasping for air. Prim rushed over to her side, and Peeta woke up.

Katniss and Peeta's eyes went wide as they saw the man who was walking inside of the house. No, not walking in, he was invading their home.

It was as though we all had some sort of unspoken communication in our heads or something, because within 30 seconds, we were all standing up and protecting Prim, Gale, and Clove. I know you don't really need to protect Gale since he could beat someone up pretty easily, but he was still in a lot of danger.

"Don't touch her!" I said, standing right in front of Clove out of my protective instinct.

I could feel Clove shaking like a leaf. That was so unlike her. I have never seen her as scared as this.

Gale was holding Prim in his arms, and she looked like she could cry. Katniss and Peeta were standing in front of the two of them.

Cat was being brave and holding herself together as she stood with the other two victors and I instead of hiding behind Clove like I expected her to.

_Oh yeah, we had to show no weakness. Forgot, _I thought bitterly.

"Hello children. How's everyone today on this lovely morning?" said Snow, his bittersweet voice sickening me to my core.

**Clove POV**

I stood behind Jade, shaking harder than ever and willing myself not to cry as evil himself walked in the room.

"Hello children. How's everyone today on this lovely morning?" he said. His voice was dripping honey but I knew well that he would sting like a bee. Scratch that, he'd sting like a thousand tracker jackers.

I looked over at everyone else. Jade's jaw was clenched tight but she was holding on to my arm like it was her lifeline. Cat was putting on a brave face and standing with Jade and the others, but I could see her knees wobble a little bit. Gale was doing the same as Cat, holding Prim in his arms. She buried her face in his neck, shaking like I was. Peeta was holding Katniss's hand tightly as they stood together in front of Gale and Prim.

It was Katniss's appearance that was the scariest of us all. Her hands were clenched into tight fists, her lips pursed in a tight line, jaw locked in place. She was shaking. Her eyes were ablaze with fury and rage.

She was the Girl On Fire, that's for sure.

No one replied to Snow's comment, we just stared and waited for him to continue.

"I'm just going to cut right to the chase. No lollygagging, as that is just a pointless waste of time when we have serious business to discuss. Is that alright with you?" said Snow, a false smile appearing on his face.

It disappeared just as quickly as it had come, and I swear I could see hear his blood thickening into ice, and his eyes steeled over. He had dropped the bittersweet act.

"Jadelynn and Caterina," said Snow.

I gasped. What was he going to do to Cat and my Jade?

"You have failed me. I have asked you to show no weakness. The purpose of this was to prove to me that allowing you to survive the Games would make you a useful mentor. And you have failed me. Don't think I haven't seen you wallowing in sadness over your lost 'loved ones' so to speak during the Victory Tour," Snow said.

My breath hitched in my throat. What on earth was he going to do?

"One more tiny slip up and you have just earned Clove and Frankie a spot in the Games. We can arrange for Frankie to be 18," said Snow. "Let me clarify what I mean by no showing weakness. No crying in public, at all. Don't show any signs of sadness about what I have just told you or your last loved ones. When there is a camera rolling, you are strong as steel."

My eyes went wide and I let a single tear fall from my eye before quickly wiping it away.

"Do I make myself clear?" asked Snow, his cool tone never leaving.

Jade and Cat nodded. "Yes sir."

I tried to shut out the information that Snow had just given. How could he be so cruel? I didn't care about going into the Games if it meant Jade getting to actually show her feelings. I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about her. Jade always tells me how much I mean to her…how could he just take me away from her like that?

Snow turned to a shocked Peeta and Katniss.

"A wedding proposal wasn't enough?" asked Peeta shakily.

President Snow looked on with his evil eyes.

"You hardly acted in love at the Victory Tour. You're never in public, so we can never see you two together. The audience is losing their patience with the star crossed lovers!" President Snow continued, failing at keeping his demeanor calm.

The audience…?

Suddenly it made sense. The Games never really ended when they got out of the arena. The real fun is just getting started.

"I'm…I'm sorry sir," said Katniss honestly.

"One more slip and Primrose and Gale have found themselves a place in the Games at one point or another. Understood? You NEED to be more in love," said Snow, sounding desperate now.

**Prim POV**

As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, I buried my head in Gale's neck even further and tried to block everything out as I cried.

I could feel Gale's strong body start to tremble like no other. Gale, who had always been Katniss's protector when I couldn't. Gale, who had meant more than the world to Katniss. Gale, who could be going into the Games with me sometime if Katniss "fails" the president.

"We understand, sir. Thank you for your time," Peeta said, and by the sound of his voice, it was with great difficulty that he did so.

"Gladly," said President Snow.

Suddenly I decided I HAD to do something.

"Please! Please let them have ONE DAY, one full 24 hours with no cameras rolling!" I cried, tears streaming shamelessly down my cheeks.

Snow's eyes did not soften, and for a minute, I was afraid he would say no.

"Each of you get one day. It can be a different day for each of you, I don't care. But for that day you choose, you and ONLY you get to disobey the rule I have applied. Am I clear?" Snow said, his voice rising in fury.

Everyone just nodded, not trusting their voices.

Suddenly, Snow went back to his bittersweet manner.

"Well alright then. This argument is settled. I will see the four of you in the Capitol," said Snow.

I heard Gale gulp.

"And maybe some of you other children. You never know," said Snow.

A chill ran down my spine as that line replayed over and over in my head.

There was a click of the door closing.

"Is he gone?" I asked, my voice shaky and squeaky.

I felt familiar arms take me from Gale.

I was engulfed in Katniss's warmth as she held me close to her. I buried my face in her chest and closed my eyes as her arms tightened their grip on me. I slipped my shaking hand into her own.

"It's gonna be ok Prim," she said to me.

_I watched on silently as they lowered Daddy into his grave. Once he was set down, they started putting dirt in it._

_They patted the top to flatten it out like the rest of the smooth land. And then Daddy was gone. He was gone and he was never coming back._

_I looked up at my sister, Katniss. She was eleven, and I was seven. _

_Katniss was trying to stop the tears in her eyes from spilling over. She looked down at me, nostrils flared, eyes glistening, hands shaking._

"_It's gonna be ok Prim," she told me, scooping me up in her arms. The one place other than my mommy and daddy's arms that I felt safe._

"_Why did the bad things happen to us?" I asked, hoping Katniss could explain it to me._

_Instead, she broke down crying._

"_I don't know, Prim. I don't know and I probably never will. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry!" she cried. She held me tight and I just held her hand._

**Jade POV**

As soon as Snow was out the door, I turned around and faced Clove.

My Clove, who had never met her mother and father, who lived on the streets until I found her, who has turned me into a better person.

My Clove, who I had, after all that she and I have went through, never seen her as hurt as this. I mean I've seen her cry, sure, but I've never seen her so…

Broken.

Her eyes were full to the brim with tears that continued to spill over down her cheeks. She was shaking so much that you could see it. Her mouth sort of hung open in shock, and her arms hung limply at her sides.

"How could they do this to you?" she asked weakly.

"I don't know Clove," I answered honestly, "I really don't know…"

Clove sniffled and looked on at me helplessly.

"Come here," I said quietly, opening my arms for her. She practically collapsed into a crying heap.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so embarrassed…" Clove said between her cries. I just held onto her tightly.

"Don't you worry about it Clove. It's fine," I said, rubbing comforting circles on her back.

I went into my emotionless state, letting go of everything that was important to me. Because if it's not important to me, then how can it affect how I feel?

Unfortunately that state only lasted for a while, but I kept my emotions to myself, not letting them show.

"I'm so sorry Clove. You don't deserve this," I whispered to Clove, who was trying as desperately as she could to calm herself down.

"I just don't understand…are you gonna be ok, Jade?" she asked me quietly, looking up at me with the most heartbroken eyes I've ever seen.

"Am I gonna be ok? I'm not the one to worry about," I said. "I'm more worried about you."

Clove sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"I'll be ok as long as nothing happens to you," she said with a sigh. She wiped away the tears on her face even though more still involuntarily fell.

I let go of her gently and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Look at me Clove," I said quietly, so only she could hear me.

She did as I asked.

"I want you to promise that no matter what happens, even if it's the worst, that you'll continue on with your life…or watch over me," I said, my throat tightening as the reality of what could happen set in.

"Of course, Jade," she said. "Promise."

I smiled a little and let her go. The two of us focused our attention on other people.

**Peeta POV**

I wrapped my arms around Katniss and Prim. Katniss was keeping herself together for Prim, but I could see the hurt in her eyes.

For the first time in about eight months, I wanted to cry. I thought that things were just finally getting back to normal, to a safe state for us all. Then Snow comes around and complains that we "failed" him.

And now, because of us, the people we love most are at risk.

Katniss looked over at me.

"Peeta, we've got to stay strong around them, okay?" she said quietly so Prim wouldn't hear.

I nodded, and kissed her lightly on the lips. Not as a romantic gesture, but as a comforting one.

I looked around at the scene before us. Mrs. Everdeen had woken up and Clove was explaining everything to her. Cat and Jade were talking, and I could tell they were both trying to keep their cool. Gale was walking up towards us.

"Hey Catnip, Peet. How's Prim?" he whispered as he kneeled down.

Prim had actually fallen asleep in Katniss's arms. And I thought that was the cutest thing ever.

"Asleep. But I know she's hurting. And I don't know what else to do," said Katniss, sounding exasperated and worried.

Gale stroked Prim's soft blonde hair. She wore a pained expression on her face.

"I guess just let her sleep," Gale said.

I nodded. "No reason to wake her up and just bring her back to reality. Trust me, before the Games, dreams were my escape."

By now, everyone had gathered around us, smiling a little at the sleeping girl in Katniss's arms. It was calming, almost, to see so much love and comfort given the situation.

"Last time she fell asleep like this was the night after Dad died," Katniss said, her voice straining.

I sighed and looked down.

"I'll get everyone something to drink. How about we all just sit down and relax?" suggested Mrs. Everdeen, her voice quiet and reserved.

She walked into the kitchen and started getting stuff out.

"Here, she can stretch out and set her head in Katniss's lap," suggested Clove. I looked up at her for the first time this morning and noticed something that shocked me.

"Oh my gosh, Clove, you're crying!" I said. I mentally slapped myself for saying that out loud.

"Oh gosh, sorry, I-" I stuttered.

"It's fine. And yeah…it happens," she said with a forced laugh as she sat down next to me. We stretched Prim out so that she was laying on our laps, her feet resting in Cat's and her head resting in Katniss's.

Jade sat next to Cat and Gale sat next to Jade.

"It's just…this whole things been getting at me. I guess today just really set me off," Clove said quietly.

I put a hand on her shoulder gently for a moment to let her know that everything was going to be okay.

Mrs. Everdeen walked in with cups on a silver platter. She handed one to each of us and then sat in a chair across from the couches we were on.

"What do we do now?" asked Gale quietly, his vulnerable side creeping through.

Mrs. Everdeen was silent as she tried to think of an answer.

"We step up our game and take things day by day," said Katniss.

I smiled a little. She always knew what was right to say.

I kissed her on the cheek out of sheer appreciation for her.

"Alright. Well now that this is settled…after I finish drinking this, I'm going back to bed. Crying really wears a person out," said Clove, and this time her laugh was real. For whatever reason, Katniss's words seemed to comfort everyone.

"I'm not leaving this house though," Cat said.

"House? I'm not leaving this room. Not right now," said Jade.

Everyone drank their warm honey milk in silence, and then Mrs. Everdeen put the cups in the sink, leaving us with a warm and full stomach and tired eyes.

Blankets were draped over everyone, and everyone settled back down.

"Sing for us Gale. Come on, you've got to have a good voice," said Jade.

Katniss smiled. "Good? Try amazing."

It's true; I'd heard Gale singing before. He rarely does it, but his voice is smooth like silk.

"Alright, fine. Close your eyes," he instructed, and everyone followed his requests.

"This song really doesn't have much to do with the situation but it's sort of a slow song. So…here goes," Gale said.

There was a moment of silence before he started to sing.

"Sometimes in our lives

We all have pain

We all have sorrow

But those who are wise

Know that there is

Always tomorrow," he sang.

"Lean on me

When you're not strong

I'll be your friend

I'll help you carry on

For

It won't be long

Before I'm gonna need

Somebody to lean on," Gale sang.

That was all I heard before I fell asleep again.

**A/N: I write way too much mushy crap. Lol.**

**Hope this was still enjoyable. Capitol party next chapter! :D**

**Please please please review!**


	12. An Interesting Party

**A/N: Hello again. So I was reading Catching Fire again and realized they don't come home before the Capitol party. Oops.**

**Oh well. I'll make it work.**

**Here goes nothing!**

**Katniss POV**

I woke up in the sickeningly familiar Training Center quarters, Peeta's strong arms wrapped around me.

This morning, after a long and sleepless night, the Capitol people came by to talk to us about the party tonight, but ended up telling us to come back here to the quarters because we looked terrible with our lack of sleep. So it was probably about six or seven in the evening.

My eyes traced the room in which we lie; the same familiar walls, bedclothes, everything brought back so many memories. They were painful memories, and I just wanted them to go away.

"Peeta," I whispered. All I wanted was for him to make them go away. I felt bad for waking him up, but surely he understands?

His eyes fluttered open lightly at the sound of my voice.

"Yeah?" he asked me groggily, the sleepiness dripping from his voice.

"I know this sounds childish but…there's so many bad memories right now…I just want them to go away," I whispered to him, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

He sighed and started to say something, but we were interrupted.

"Don't mean to interrupt, but here's what your wearing for the party that starts in twenty five minutes," said Cinna, walking quietly into our room.

Good. Anything to get my mind off of these memories.

Peeta and I rose from the bed and accepted the clothes from Cinna. Peeta headed to his room up here and I went to take a quick shower just to make sure I was nice and clean for the party.

Fifteen minutes later, I was clean and dry and looking for undergarments. I found some comfortable and appropriate ones and then slipped on the dress Cinna had assigned me that I "designed".

There was a note on my bedside table.

"Do whatever you want with your hair. –Cinna"

"Well in that case, I'm just letting it go," I said quietly to myself.

I walked out into the living room of the District 12 floor to find Peeta standing there in a nice looking traditional black suit, his hair left just the way he would normally leave it. No gel or anything. Good.

Knowing there were Capitol cameras in the room, I walked up to him and adjusted his suit like a good wife would.

_You're not his wife yet Katniss, _I said to myself, my heart jumping at the realization that I soon would be.

"There. Now you're perfect," I said to Peeta, a smile on my face. He smiled back.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my ear against his chest, just listening to the sound of his heartbeat. It thumped slowly, signifying that he was relaxed.

I allowed myself to close my eyes as he wrapped his arms around me and just held tightly.

"You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Katniss," he said. He kissed my forehead.

I smiled, breathing in, the scent of, well, him filling my nose.

I moved my head so I was looking up at him.

"I don't know what I'd ever do without you," I said, a lump of emotion rising in my throat.

Peeta kissed my lips compassionately. "Don't worry – I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon."

I smiled and rested my head on his shoulder.

For a moment we just swayed on the spot, eyes closed, more relaxed than we have been for a long time.

I felt a hand lightly brush my shoulder.

"We gotta go," said Cinna.

Peeta and I held hands as we walked onto the elevator, traveled down to the bottom, and walked to the building in which the party was being held.

Haymitch, Effie, Cat, and Jade were waiting there for us.

"Alright now here's the rules. The prep team is going to be in there, if they decide they want to fix your outfit or your hair, let them. There will be alcohol. Don't you dare drink the beer or raw spirits or anything. And there will be champagne, mixed with a little bit of honey in it to make it sweet. You can have SOME champagne, but if any of you get drunk, I will hurt you," Haymitch said, joking at that last part but making himself clear. "Got it?"

"Yes sir. Do what the prep team wants and don't get drunk," said Peeta, smiling as he confirmed Haymitch's orders.

Haymitch clapped him on the back.

"That's my boy. Now go enjoy yourselves, and BE SOCIAL WITH THE CAPITOL PEOPLE," said Haymitch.

We walked through the doors and the first thing I saw was tables and tables of DELICIOUS looking food.

**Jade POV**

My stomach growled as the aroma of freshly cooked food filled my nose when we walked through the double doors to the party.

I could see everything you could ever imagine to eat on the tables, and the drink table was full of different sodas and alcoholic beverages.

"First things first, I'M EATING!" I said, grabbing a plate and digging right in.

Everyone else seemed to agree with me, grabbing a plate themselves and getting loads of food.

We sat down at a table for four people.

"I'll get silverware," said Peeta, being a gentlemen.

"I'll get drinks. Everyone want honey champagne?" asked Katniss, standing up.

We chorused our "yes" and she headed off to get the drinks.

Five minutes later, we were all seated with silverware, honey champagne, and a load of food.

We were pretty silent as we practically inhaled the food we got, almost completely forgetting about the drinks we had until we were getting down to the last bits on our plate.

"Oh wow…that can really fill a person up," said Peeta after he took his last bite.

The rest of us finished our plates off and then started to sip the champagne.

"Oh my gosh…this is almost as good as hot chocolate! This tastes amazing!" said Katniss, and she started to take a big gulp.

"Slow down turbo! You drink like that and you'll have a hangover tomorrow!" I said with a laugh. Katniss laughed too, blushing a deep red and taking smaller sips from her drink. I took a sip of mine, and I have to agree, it was GOOD.

Just then Venia and Octavia walked up to us.

"How are you all? Ready to eat more?" asked Octavia excitedly.

"Great. We couldn't eat another bite if we tried though," said Cat.

Suddenly Octavia dragged us all over to a table of little bottles full of black liquid that I hadn't noticed before.

We each picked one up cautiously.

"Drink it, you'll be able to eat again in no time!"

I looked at the others and shrugged, then took the cap off and put it up to my lips.

"STOP! Good heavens, don't want to make a mess out here! Go in there!" said Octavia, slapping the bottle away from my hands and catching it before it fell.

I noticed that she was pointing at the bathrooms.

"Wait a second…is this supposed to make us throw up?" asked Katniss, bewildered.

"Of course! Everyone in the Capitol does it! I've been in there twice already!" Venia said.

I shuddered. _Knowing that, I could throw up without even drinking this_, I thought as my stomach lurched.

"Um…you know what, I think we're good," said Peeta, and he, Katniss, and Cat set their bottles down on the table.

I nodded and walked away with them.

A slower song came on.

"Mind if I go and dance with her?" asked Peeta, taking Katniss around the waist.

"Go for it, lovebirds. I'll dance with Cat," I said jokingly, and Cat and I pretended to sway on the spot.

Katniss and Peeta laughed and headed to a secluded area of the room so they could dance in private.

I looked around at all the people here. I noticed that a lot of people were wearing Katniss's mockingjay pin.

What they see as a fashion trend we see as a symbol of the bonds we made, the hardships we survived, and the dangers we faced. Sickening, I tell you. SICKENING.

**Peeta POV**

As I danced silently with Katniss in the corner, I realized this would be a good time to bring up some things I have been thinking.

"This place is so weird. These people are so weird," I whispered, and Katniss laughed.

"Welcome to the Capitol, Peeta," said Katniss. I chuckled lightly.

I looked around and suddenly another thought came to my mind.

"We should help create a rebellion," I said.

Katniss's hand clamped over my mouth.

"Not here, Peeta. later," she said through gritted teeth. I nodded, then licked her hand so she would move it off of my face.

She shook it and then wiped it off on her dress.

"You are a child Peeta," she scowled, but ended up laughing.

I smiled triumphantly at her.

Just then, someone very familiar walked up to us.

"Mind if I steal her for a dance?" asked the man. I nodded, knowing we had to be social.

I was able to overhear the conversation though.

"My name is Plutarch Heavensbee. I'm the Head Gamemaker, the one who fell in the punch bowl at your training session," the man said with a hearty laugh. I smiled a little bit as the story came to my mind.

Katniss laughed and apologized for that, and Plutarch just waved her off politely.

They talked for a little while before Plutarch made a big deal out of showing Katniss the time, and I saw the mockingjay pin on his watch too. Man, these Capitol people make fashion trends quicker than we bake bread at the bakery.

"Now, I'm going to a meeting. Would you mind not telling anyone that?" said Plutarch, and Katniss nodded, suspicion in her eyes.

Plutarch smiled and headed off, saying he'd see her at the next Games.

Something about that rubbed me the wrong way, but I just shook it off.

She came back to me and told me the whole story, and I agreed with her when she said it was a bit odd of him to make such a huge deal over it and stuff.

Effie soon walked up to us, dragging Cat and Jade with her.

"Alright, time to go. Now, I'll just go get Haymitch at the drink table and we will be on our way!" she said, and Cinna rolled his eyes a little. I choked back a laugh until she was out of sight.

**Cat POV**

We walked from the party to the train station and boarded our usual train. I would never tell Haymitch, but I think I drank a little more than I should have tonight, for my head was slightly throbbing. It was very minor though, so it could have been something else. I don't know.

As we were walking there, Haymitch had to stop to use the restroom. We waited for him, and the four of us victors began to wander around a bit.

Suddenly we came to a room with the door slightly open, and the sounds of a TV were coming from it.

Being our nosy selves, we investigated.

"And now, breaking news to you, Capitol, District 8 is having an uprising."

Katniss gasped. The four of us ran back to the restrooms, knowing we shouldn't have seen that.

"Oh my god," whispered Peeta to us. We all nodded in agreement.

Finally we headed on to the train station.

Soon enough, we were in pajamas and getting ready to go to bed.

"Good night, sleep well, I'll wake you when we're in District 12," said Cinna, rhyming unintentionally. I giggled.

Everyone said their good nights to each other, and Effie became her normal, non-obnoxious self since we were on a train with broken cameras that no one had bothered to fix.

**Katniss POV – 1:00 AM**

Peeta and I lay in bed again for the second time that day. We were both exhausted and on the brink of falling asleep.

"Let's hope for no nightmares tonight," said Peeta, the misery evident in his voice.

I leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Yep."

The two of us closed our eyes and drifted off in a matter of minutes.

**A/N: Not the best but I needed an update. Hope it was enjoyable though! I probably won't be able to update for at least a week, maybe two. Sorry! See you soon! REVIEW PLEASE!**


	13. A Rather Fun Day

**A/N: AND SHE'S BACK! Sorry for not updating for such a long time. I was at someone's house without a laptop for a week so I couldn't, plus I've been sort of sick all day, so I was holding back on trying to write. BUT I feel better now, so of course, I'm writing! :D **

**Hope you enjoy this!**

**Katniss POV**

My eyes fluttered open as the first rays of morning light shone through the window. Peeta's arms were wrapped around me, and we were laying in my bed as usual.

I sighed. The familiar sound of Prim and Mother in the kitchen filled my ears, the warmth of Peeta's arms was felt against my skin, the smell of cooking breakfast reached my nose. I could almost taste the French toast being made with some bread Peeta had brought over late last night, since he knew that Prim absolutely loved French toast.

I thought over the party last night. I didn't remember much of it, because honestly I think we all drank a little more than we should have, but I did remember the whole mockingjay ordeal. Having to dance with Plutarch.

And then I remembered a detail that was a little bit more important. What the four of us saw on the TV screen that we shouldn't have.

There is an uprising in District Eight. And I think I have a little theory over why that might be.

"What are you thinking about, beautiful?" asked a calming voice. I felt my face relax, because I apparently had been thinking so hard my face was tensed up.

I sighed again.

"Remember the party last night? The things that happened, what we heard, what we saw?" I said, trying to drop innocent-sounding hints to him.

"Ah," he said quietly, understanding where I was going with this.

"Yes I do remember that. We should go somewhere after breakfast and tell Clove and Gale about the party," he suggested. I nodded. They were just as involved in this as we were. And there was only one place I could think of where we could possibly be out of earshot of any Capitol people.

"Alright, let's get up," I said, standing up and stretching.

"Ugh, do I have to move?" he whined. I laughed.

"I'll steal your bread," I teased.

"You wouldn't," Peeta said, acting like he was offended.

"Oh I would," I said with a giggle.

"I'm up!" Peeta said, jumping out of bed.

I smiled and shook my head, then looked for some clothes to wear. I found a black t-shirt, hunting pants, my boots, and my father's jacket.

Peeta grabbed the clothes he had brought over and walked into the bathroom to change.

I changed quickly. After Peeta opened the door, I went into the bathroom to brush my hair out.

Peeta combed through his hair and just left it as it was. I started to put my hair up, but he stopped me.

"Honestly. Would you EVER put your hair up if it weren't for being in the Capitol so much?" he asked.

I took a moment to think about that. He was right. I never would put my hair up if I hadn't experienced what I had. It was a simple, somewhat stupid thing to judge how I've changed on, but it was still something.

I smiled a little and put the ponytail holder away, my hair hanging loosely around my shoulders.

"There. perfect," he said with a smile. He kissed me on the cheek.

Hand in hand, the two of us walked down the hall, where we were greeted by some familiar faces.

The rest of our friends had shown up, along with a few other people we don't get to see very often.

Cato, Rue, and my dad had decided to show up too. I smiled.

Cato and Rue were watching an old show on the television. Prim was with Dad (I assume she was trying to figure out if he was real or not), Gale was helping out in the kitchen with my mother, and Jade, Cat, and Clove were sitting on the couch near Cato and Rue, watching the old show with them.

"Daddy!" I said, not really caring that I had called him Daddy in front of my friends.

I ran to him, and he manifested himself into a solid enough form to hug me.

I smiled in his arms.

"Whoa…you look…alive, Daddy," said Prim, amazed. When Dad let go of me, he leaned down next to Prim again.

He took her hand and placed it on his face. I could see her trying to figure it out.

See, one fact I may or may not have mentioned is that although ghosts can solidify themselves so they can touch and move things easily, they still are easily defined as a ghost. Their skin is pale white, and the texture is silky smooth, almost too easy to glide your fingers across. Their touch doesn't feel exactly like a human touch; you can feel it, but there's no pressure as a human touch would create. It was a good feeling though.

"Not quite," Dad said with a smile. Prim smiled back.

I looked over at my friends sitting on the couch.

"Hey Cato," I said with a smile. He smiled and waved at me.

"Oh come on. No hug?" I teased. A moment later, I was locked in his ghostly embrace.

"Thanks for stopping in," I said.

"Of course. We miss you guys," said Cato. My smile widened, if possible.

I looked over at Rue.

All I had to do was cock my eyebrow a little bit and open my arms, and I was soon hugging the little girl who had been my lifesaver in the arena.

"Now we do have to leave after you guys eat breakfast unfortunately. We can only be down here for about an hour at a time. Plus, what would someone say if they walked in and saw the three of us dead ones here?" asked my dad, and I laughed, thinking of what someone's face would look like if they saw them.

"I don't know about anyone else, but Haymitch would say 'Who wants vodka?'" said a familiar voice, followed by the closing of the front door.

I hung my head in my hands. Only Haymitch would react that way.

"Little ears here!" said Cato, covering Rue's ears. Rue was giggling like no other.

Haymitch actually smiled. "How ya doing Cato?" Cato responded politely as expected.

Haymitch came up and shook my dad's hand with the hand not holding a full bottle of vodka.

"So, what do you want Haymitch?" asked Cat. Not in a mean tone, though it may seem. Just a casual one.

"Just wondering why I smelled French toast," asked Haymitch as he started trying to open the vodka bottle.

"In other words, we need to add another plate of food to our list, don't we?" asked my mom from the kitchen with a laugh.

"Well suuuure, if you insist!" Haymitch said. We all laughed.

"No vodka with breakfast though. You can drink milk like a civilized human being," I said to him with a smile.

"Alright, deal. Here you go then," he said, handing the unopened bottle to me.

"What am I supposed to do with it?" I asked.

"I dunno, trash it so I'm not tempted," said Haymitch.

He sat down at the table and straightened his clothes a little bit.

"Did you just say to TRASH your VODKA?" asked Jade, putting her hand up in a 'hold up' sort of fashion.

"I did," said Haymitch triumphantly.

Clove started clapping.

"This deserves some congratulations. This is an amazing achievement," she said.

Everyone laughed and clapped for Haymitch and his 'achievement'.

I took the bottle of vodka over to the sink and opened it easily, then poured it all out, coughing from the fumes.

"French toast is ready. First come first serve!" Mom said with a genuine smile on her face. One I had not seen in years.

She walked over to my father, who embraced her.

"I missed you, Isaiah," she said to him.

"I know. I missed you too," Dad replied.

A soft, happy smile made its way onto my lips at the sight of them reuniting.

Someone's hand slipped into my own. I turned to find Peeta smiling at me.

"Come on. Let's go get some food," he said. I nodded.

**After Breakfast**

**Clove POV**

I swallowed my last bite of French toast and finished off my milk.

"I'll wash dishes if you want," I said, trying to be nice.

"Actually, Jade, Cat, Peeta, and I need to talk to you and Gale. We can go for a walk," said Katniss.

Something about her tone made me wonder what could be so important that we couldn't even say it in the house. Anything that important usually isn't good news.

I sighed and nodded, putting my plate in the sink.

Cato, Isaiah, and Rue had left just before we finished breakfast. Mrs. Everdeen, excuse me Elizabeth, started working on the dishes.

"Can I come with you guys? I want to go to the bakery," Prim asked me.

I looked over at Katniss as I pulled on my coat.

"You can come with us, but we'll have to just drop you off there, okay?" she said, her tone second guessing whether or not she should do that.

"I'll make sure Rye takes care of you," said Peeta, curing Katniss's uncertainty.

Prim beamed at Peeta and her sister.

"Will you be out long?" asked Elizabeth.

"We shouldn't be. No more than two hours, tops," said Jade, fixing her ruffled hair.

Elizabeth nodded. "Prim, be safe, ok? Don't mess with anything unless Rye is watching and knows what you're doing."

"Ok, Mom. See you later!" Prim said as Katniss helped her into her coat.

Cat, Jade, Peeta, Gale, Katniss, Prim, and I headed out into the cold winter day. Our first stop was the bakery.

"Where are you guys going after you drop me off at the bakery?" asked Prim.

She leaned down and whispered in Prim's ear. If she couldn't say it out loud, we had to be going to the woods. Where else would be so forbidden that no one else could hear?

"Oh, ok," Prim said, nodding to show she understood.

We soon arrived at the bakery, and I could smell the bread baking. I closed my eyes for a second and remembered something from my life before I met Jade.

_I walked slowly along the streets of District 2. There was a light rain coming down, making the road muddy under my bare feet. My stomach roared angrily as I had not been able to eat for a few days. My mom and dad were trying as hard as they could to get some food on the table, but we just couldn't._

_Every muscle in my body pleaded for mercy as I trudged along._

_An overwhelming smell hit my nose. The smell of fresh, baking bread, from the best bakery in the district. Of course, the people there made their prices so ridiculous that only the richest people could afford it. _

_I just stopped dead on in the rain and stared at the bakery. What wouldn't I give for just a loaf of bread? A slice even?_

_But alas, staring would do me no use. I was soaking wet, cold, and in pain, and standing there would only make all three aspects worse._

_With a sigh, I continued on home. But not before I saw a little boy with jet black wave at me through the bakery window with a smile on his face. _

_I saw a taller girl, about my age, standing next to him. Her hair was more a dark, dark brown that was almost black. She was facing the other way, so I never saw her face._

_For some reason, the smiling, waving boy made a huge difference on how I felt. I continued to walk home with a small smile of my own plastered onto my lips._

_That night, there was food on the table for the first time in three days. A tiny loaf of bread that some little black haired boy had dropped off at our doorstep._

"Clove? Back to earth?" said Prim, snapping her fingers in front of my face.

I laughed.

Rye walked out of the bakery and waved at us.

"Prim wanted to come by. Can you watch her for an hour or so?" asked Katniss.

"Of course. Maybe she can help me frost the cupcakes," Rye said, smiling at Prim. Prim's eyes lit up.

"Thanks so much," said Peeta, and his brother nodded at him.

"Alright. Be good," said Katniss, kissing Prim on the forehead before she sent her on her way.

The six of us then followed Katniss and Gale to the edge of the woods, then to where they got in.

After we were in, we all ran until we were concealed by the woods.

"Where are we going?" asked Cat in her sing-song voice.

"A special place," said Katniss with a smile.

Not long after, we found ourselves by a lake in the heart of the woods.

**Cat POV**

The lake was good sized, and the water was frozen solid. But there were plants all around it, some that I could recognize.

I also noticed a small little house type thing not far from us.

The six of us walked into the tiny little shed. There wasn't much room, but there was enough that we could sit comfortably.

"My dad and I used to come here all the time," Katniss said, looking around the familiar room. I smiled a little.

"So, what's going on?" asked Gale.

Peeta sighed, remembering what we saw.

"There's an uprising in district 8," he said very quietly, so that we could barely hear it.

Gale and Clove's faces registered with shock.

"W-Why?" asked Clove, obviously bewildered with this information. Last time there was an uprising, it turned into a rebellion.

"I don't know for sure, but I have an idea," said Katniss.

This was new. We hadn't heard of her theory until now.

"They're inspired by the fact that four of us made it out of the arena. I think. I'm really not sure," said Katniss.

"That could be," said Gale.

"But what if another district has an uprising, then another, then another, then another, then ano-" I said, and Clove cut me off. Not in a mean way. I was used to it, I tend to be a little….childish, if you haven't noticed yet.

"Cat's right. What if that does happen?" asked Clove.

Katniss and Peeta exchanged a glance.

"Then we have ourselves a rebellion on our hands," said Peeta.

I gasped.

We all just sat there for a little bit, trying to think about what that could mean. It could have its pros if the districts won.

But if the Capitol won…

That's too scary to think about.

"So what do we do now?" I asked.

There was another moment of silence as everyone pondered over what to do.

"We hope the other districts don't rebel too," said Jade.

I nodded. That was all we could do, really.

There was some silence as we tried to take everything in.

"Let's not mope around about this. I mean, what can we do? We can't control what happens in 8. We can't control what the Capitol does. We just have to hope for the best," said Jade, trying to be optimistic.

I smiled a little.

"Yeah. I agree," said Gale, putting an arm around Jade.

"Well…now that everyone knows and we've let it sink in…who wants to go ice skating?" asked Katniss enthusiastically.

We chorused our replies of agreement.

"What if the ice breaks?" asked Peeta.

"Good point…I'll go check," said Gale.

The six of us headed out of the shed, and Gale started to walk on the ice.

He stepped slowly into the outer area of the lake. He stomped on the ice a few times, and it didn't even crack.

He then went in deeper and deeper until he was at the center of the lake.

"Here's the ultimate test!" he said. He jumped as high as he could and came slamming down right in the exact center.

I expected him to fall through the ice, but he stood right on the spot.

"It's got to be frozen all the way through!" he called out. "Come join me!"

Without hesitation, we headed on to the ice.

It was very slippery, but I had gotten some good balance from all the standing in trees I used to do back at home. I could stand straight up on a branch at the top of a tree and not fall. (We had one lone tree in our yard. That was my entertainment, climbing that tree.)

I slid all over the place, doing figure eights and any trick I could think of. Everyone fell at least once, including me. Nevertheless, even with the little bruise on my knee, I still found it tons of fun.

"Ok, we have GOT to do this more often!" said Clove as she hopped off the ice and into the snow.

Katniss giggled as she and Peeta slid to a stop, hand in hand, and then stepped off the ice.

Gale and Jade were racing from the opposite side of the lake to the place where we were all waiting for them.

They were smiling and laughing like no other when they both toppled backwards into the snow.

"I win," said Gale.

"No I win!" Jade countered as they got up.

"No I win!" Gale countered with his charming smile.

"Children, please," Clove said, earning a playful slap on the arm by Jade.

**Peeta POV**

Happiness coursed through me as we headed back to pick Prim up from the bakery. Even with the bad news about district 8, we managed to have a good time.

It seemed like Prim was having a good time too. Through the window of the bakery, I saw her and Rye having a full on frosting fight.

The six of us walked in, and both Prim and Rye stopped dead in their tracks.

I laughed at my brother, who was sporting random stripes of red frosting all over him.

"You should wear red more often. It suits you," I teased.

Rye laughed. He licked his finger which was covered in frosting.

"Tastes good too!" he said. I smiled.

Katniss shook her head as she looked at a blue-frosting-covered Prim.

"Mom's gonna kill you," she said laughing.

"Oh well," Prim said.

"Thanks for watching her," said Clove to Rye. He smiled and nodded.

"Anytime. See you later," Rye said, waving to us as we headed home.

**A/N: So…hope this was satisfactory. Please review!**


	14. Gale

**A/N: Hey again! Not much to be said about this chapter honestly. So…here goes nothing! Starting right where I left off. Sorry if there are any mistakes, I'm writing this on my phone.  
**Gale POV  
The seven of us walked down the streets until we reached the Victor's Village. I smelled dinner cooking in Peeta's house, and I was reminded that I needed to go and get some food for my family. And that I had missed a day of work…what would happen tomorrow because of it? I guessed that I would just find out when the time came.  
"I'm gonna go hunting, get some dinner for the family. See you guys later," I said. Katniss started to protest and suggest that I bring the family over for dinner at her house, as usual, but I waved her off.  
"Katniss, I really appreciate the offer, but eventually you're gonna have to give up on asking me that, because you already know the answer," I said. Katniss sighed.  
"Alright, alright. See you tomorrow then Gale," Katniss said. She hugged me quickly, followed by Jade, before I took off into the woods.  
Peeta POV  
"I should probably go home for dinner tonight," I said.  
"Yeah…you really aren't at home with your brothers that much," said Cat. "Just saying."  
I chuckled a little and nodded.  
"Yeah I know. See you guys tomorrow. Well, see you tonight, Katniss," I said, as we had slept with each other at night ever since we got out of the arena to help fight off the nightmares.  
Katniss nodded, then kissed me lightly on the lips. I brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face and smiled at her.  
I waved goodbye and headed home.  
Clove POV  
"So, any plans for tonight?" I asked Jade as we all stood in the front yard of Katniss's house.  
Jade shrugged. "Dad's at work, and he won't be back until late, like eleven tonight."  
I nodded, remembering Mr. West saying that to us as we left this morning to go over to Katniss's.  
"I know this sounds kind of childish, especially for you guys, but…want to play in the snow? I think Mom would let us," said Prim hopefully. She was only twelve, and even though the changes in her life have made her mature for her age, she still has that little kid in her. I smiled.  
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm not passing this up," I said. Prim beamed at me.  
"Frankie is probably sleeping. He took an extra shift at his work today and he was exhausted when I left. So I've got nothing to do," said Cat. "I'm in!"  
The four of us turned to Katniss expectantly.  
"I'm sorry, little duck, but I don't really want to play right now," said Katniss. She winked at me with a mischievous look in her eyes though.  
Prim's eyes fell.  
Suddenly, Katniss picked up a ball of snow and threw it lightly at Prim.  
"I wanna have a snow ball fight!" Katniss cried, and suddenly it was an all-out war.  
I grabbed a ball of snow and threw it at Cat, who made an "eep" sound and laughed.  
Suddenly I felt my shirt being pulled back, nearly choking me.  
"What the-OH MY GOSH THAT'S COLD!" I cried out as I saw Jade put snow down my back on my bare skin. I shuddered as it dripped down my once warm back.  
I looked right at Jade.  
"Oh it is ON! IT IS ON GIRL!" I said, throwing a snowball at Jade that hit her in the neck. She screeched at the sudden coldness.  
More war ensued until we were all nearly soaked and freezing to death in the cold air of winter.  
"Ok, I think we should go inside," giggled Cat as she wiped a bit of snow off her arm.  
I nodded. "Good idea."  
We all walked inside into the warmth of the Everdeen household. An audible sigh was heard from Jade as the warmth set in.  
We took off our jackets and stuff, glad to find that the clothes we wore beneath all the warming gear were almost completely dry.  
"Who wants hot chocolate?" asked Elizabeth from the kitchen with a smile on her face.  
"ME!" we chorused simultaneously in response. Elizabeth chuckled and got out five cups, then started making hot chocolate.  
It wasn't until she looked back that she noticed Prim was covered in blue frosting.  
"Oh my goodness…Primrose Everdeen, what in the name of Panem did you do today?" asked Elizabeth. She wasn't mad, she was laughing.  
"Me and Rye got a little competitive at the bakery," she said with a smile.  
Elizabeth chuckled and shook her head. "Go change and take a hot shower, ok?"  
Prim giggled and replied, "Alright, will do."  
She disappeared into the hallway.  
The four of us all sat down at the table and sipped hot chocolate in silence as we warmed up from the freezing air that we'd been in all day.  
"So, how are things with everyone?" asked Elizabeth as she sat down next to Katniss.  
"Good. We went ice skating today," said Cat with a smile. Elizabeth gave her an inquiring look, as there was nowhere to ice skate in district 12.  
"There's a pond we found that had frozen over completely. It was fun. We fell a couple times," said Jade. "I got a pretty nasty bruise on my leg, but it was totally worth it."  
For the second time that evening, Elizabeth was just shaking her head.  
"You kids, I swear…" she said. We all smiled in a rather triumphant way.  
Prim walked out into the kitchen wearing comfortable looking clothing, and she was completely blue-free.  
I handed her her hot chocolate when she sat down with us.  
"So…are you guys ready to go and mentor? I think you'll do a good job," said Elizabeth to Katniss, Cat, and Jade. I sighed as I remembered that Jade would be gone before the Games, during, and a little while after while I was stuck here at home.  
"I just hope we can at least help the poor kids a little bit," said Jade. "Try to be more of a friend rather than a mentor."  
Elizabeth nodded. "I think that would be a good idea."  
Katniss POV  
As we were talking, there was suddenly a hard and frantic knock at the door. I jumped up and ran to it, throwing it open. There stood a worried Peeta.  
I could hear sounds coming from the square, and they didn't sound good.  
I immediately knew I needed to go see what was going on.  
"Stay here, there's something going on at the square, and it doesn't sound good. Peeta and I are going to go find out what it is," I said.  
"Oh no…be careful, ok? Come back as soon as you can and let us know what's going on!" called Clove as I rushed out the door.  
"Alright!" I yelled back to her. then, Peeta and I took off running as fast as we could.  
Once we reached the square, murmurs of dissent were made at Peeta's and my presence.  
"What are you trying to do, get him killed?"  
"Get out of here girl!"  
"Move along, kids!"  
We finally broke through the crowd to see what was happening.  
The image I saw made me want to throw up.  
Gale was tied to a post by the hands, and what used to be his back was a raw, bloody slab of meat. A man who I didn't recognize held a whip in his hands. Gale's blood was all over the rocks and ground below.  
"NO! GALE!" I cried out, jumping in front of him as the man raised his whip.  
It smacked down brutally on my face, and I whimpered as my cheek started to welt up and bleed.  
"Katniss!" Peeta yelled, coming to my rescue.  
He was shoved out of the way by no other than Haymitch.  
"What are you thinking? Do you realize she has a wedding dress photo-shoot next week? What am I supposed to tell her prep team when they see her with this welt?" Haymitch yelled angrily at the vicious man with the whip.  
"That's not my problem," the man hissed back.  
"Well it's about to be!" Haymitch snapped at him. "Why are you beating this man?"  
"He was hunting illegally in the woods," said the old man harshly. "He must be punished."  
Haymitch shook his head in anger.  
"I think the standard protocol for poaching has been reached," said Peeta, backing up what Haymitch was about to say.  
"Yeah, it's 25 whip lashes. I believe you have reached this," said another familiar face that I couldn't quite place.  
The old man with the whip sighed. "I am Head Peacekeeper. I make the shots here."  
"Sir, I really think the standard amount has been reached," said a man in the audience.  
The Head Peacekeeper, whose name I still didn't know, glared angrily at Haymitch and I.  
"Next time, I kill him," he said before stalking off.  
The crowd slowly dispersed as we hurried to find a way to get Gale home to my mother, who would treat him.  
I tried not to let my emotions get the best of me as we hauled Gale off on an ironing board sold to us by an old woman who owns a shop. Delly Cartwright, someone who was with Gale when the whole thing started, helped us bring Gale home.  
"What happened?" I asked, utterly confused.  
"He meant to sell some of his meat to old Cray, but then this new guy was here, and he freaked out and tied Gale to that post. I'm so sorry I didn't do anything, I was just so scared!" cried Delly.  
"It's alright. We just gotta get him home. We gotta fix him," I said as tears started to leak from my eyes. Well, from my open one, for the other had swelled shut.  
I sucked it up though and by the time we got to my house, I was no longer crying. My eye was watering from the cut of the whip, but that was all.  
We threw open the front door and got Gale on the kitchen table, because that was the closest and biggest thing near us to put him on.  
"Oh my God!" I heard Jade yell. Clove and Cat stared in horror at Gale's back. Gale was moaning in pain.  
Prim and my mother go into complete healer mode, focusing only on the task at hand; fixing Gale.  
My mother started mixing snow and some herbs.  
"Did it cut your eye?" she asked me, examining the lash mark on my cheek. I shook my head.  
"Alright then, here," she said, putting some of this snowy herb stuff on my lash. It started to numb the pain a little, but in no way did it take it away.  
"I'm gonna go call Hazelle. I'm so sorry, Katniss," said Peeta, kissing me quickly before running to the phone to call Gale's mother. (We had had a phone installed in her house for her).  
I watched as my mother put the 'snow coat' as Prim had just called it on Gale's back. He continued to moan, and he started gritting his teeth.  
"No, that's not strong enough!" I said loudly, feeling my emotions start to return again at seeing my best friend in the world so beaten like this.  
"Katniss, I'm sure it-" my mom tried to reassure me.  
"No! He's still in a lot of pain! We need something stronger!" I said, my voice rising even further.  
Cat POV  
I stared in horror at the bloody slab of meat that used to be Gale. He looked like he was in so much pain, and Katniss was starting to freak out, saying the snow coat wasn't strong enough.  
"Katniss, we don't have enough medication for-"  
"MOM LOOK AT HIM! IT ISNT STRONG ENOUGH! HE NEEDS SOMETHING STRONGER!" Katniss full out yelled, tears streaming down her face.  
"I'm sorry, but-"  
And then Katniss REALLY lost it. She started crying and screaming things that I'd rather not repeat at Elizabeth as Gale moaned in pain over and over again.  
Peeta wrapped his arms around her and tried to calm her down, but she just thrashed and continued to shout obscenities.  
"Get her out of here," said Haymitch seriously. Peeta picked up the still screaming, crying, and thrashing Katniss and carried her to her room.  
"I'm gonna go help calm Katniss down," I said, and Clove nodded in agreement.  
"I'm gonna stay with Gale," said Jade, fighting harder than ever to keep her emotions under control.  
I nodded. I hugged her really quickly. "It'll be ok." I assured her before running off to Katniss's room.  
She continued to thrash and scream, and Peeta was pinning her down to the bed.  
Clove and I rushed to his aid, each of us pinning down a leg or an arm.  
We just held Katniss down until she stopped thrashing. I watched as her screams turned to sobs, and she gasped for air.  
Peeta kissed Katniss on the forehead. "Baby, he'll be ok."  
"Go – take – care of – him," she managed to get out through her crying to Peeta. Peeta nodded and left to do as she asked him.  
Katniss sat up and held her head in her hands as a fresh wave of body-racking sobs came over her.  
I took one of Katniss's hands and Clove hugged her tight.  
"He's gonna be ok. He's gonna be ok," I whispered over and over to her.  
Five minutes later, she was calm enough that she could lay down and breathe alright again.  
As Katniss started to fall asleep, we got up and headed out.  
Clove POV  
I was almost out the door when Katniss spoke again.  
"No, Clove, please stay," she begged me.  
"Of course," I said, kneeling down next her. I closed my eyes and leaned against her bed, because I knew just having someone with you in the room could make a difference in how you felt.  
Before I knew it though, I was out cold.  
Jade POV  
I sat next to Gale in a chair, holding his hand and rubbing it with my thumb lightly. I stared down at him. His jaw was clenched tight and his teeth were gritted. There was a sheen of sweat covering his body, and he practically was writhing in pain.  
Katniss was right. The snow coat simply wasn't enough.  
"Please be ok Gale," I said quietly. For the first time, I kissed him lightly on the lips.  
His eyes opened just barely. "Jade…" he breathed with an attempted smile. It soon turned into a face of pure agony.  
He slipped back into unconsciousness just as there was a knock at the door.  
My heart started to race. Anyone here at this time of night is not good. It would have to be a Peacekeeper. Someone coming back for more.  
"I'll get it," said Peeta. He looked at me and Gale sympathetically before heading to the door.  
There were some murmurs that could be heard before a distinct 'thank you' from Peeta, who closed the door on the snowstorm outside.  
"Elizabeth? That was Madge. Mayor's daughter. She brought some really strong Capitol medicine," Peeta said, handing a vile and an injector to Elizabeth. Prim looked on tiredly.  
Elizabeth filled the injector with the medicine, and gave it to Gale. Apparently it was very strong, for the agony disappeared from his face almost instantly.  
I sighed. Finally he could rest easy.  
Prim was rubbing her eyes but smiling at Gale's relief.  
"Come on Prim, let's go to bed," I said after kissing Gale once more.  
I picked her up in my arms, and she willingly laid her head on my shoulder.  
"Goodnight," Peeta and Cat said to Elizabeth. She smiled and nodded.  
It was sort of an unspoken agreement; everyone was staying tonight.  
I went in to check on Katniss. Katniss was out cold, but she was shivering as she had no blanket on her. Peeta kissed Prim on the cheek and then laid down next to Katniss, throwing the covers over them both.  
Clove was asleep against the bed. I went into Elizabeth's room and laid a now asleep Prim down in bed and covered her up. Cat headed off to one of the spare bedrooms.  
I went back to get Clove.  
I shook her lightly on the shoulder, and she stirred. Her eyes fluttered open.  
"C'mon, let's get some sleep. You look exhausted," I said to her quietly. Both Peeta and Katniss were dead to the world in their sleep already.  
She nodded, and I helped her up. We collapsed in a heap of blankets and tiredness on the other spare bed in the room right next to Katniss's.  
"We did good today. I kept Katniss sane, you kept Gale from hurting," Clove said, holding her hand up for a weak high five. I chuckled and high fived her back.  
"We're all like a big family. Isn't that what families are supposed to do?" I said with a smile.  
Clove nodded. "Goodnight, Jade."  
"Goodnight, Clove," I replied.  
And then the two of us drifted off into the world of dreams and nightmares, not worrying yet about what the next day would bring.

**A/N: Hope you liked this! :D Please review!**


	15. Realization

**A/N: Hey! Not a whole lot to say about this chapter. Thanks for the anon who reviewed last chapter, means a lot. And of course thank you to knd number 7 as always I hope you enjoy this!**

**Jade POV**

I woke up early the next morning. It was barely even light out at the time, and the digital clock on the wall read 5:00 in the morning.

Clove was still asleep next to me. Her dark hair was a mess from all the moving around she had done in the night, and there was a slightly pained expression on her face.

_Well that can't be good_, I thought.

I shook her lightly. "Clove?"

She sighed and opened her eyes a little bit. "Yeah?"

"Are you ok?" I asked her. Sleepiness dripped from both of our voices.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bad dream," she said. I nodded.

"Go back to sleep, it's too early to be getting up," I said. The younger girl nodded and closed her eyes again. Her shallow breathing notified me that she had fallen back asleep only moments later.

I heard noises coming from the kitchen and my heart immediately started racing. I knew it was sort of stupid to get freaked out like that, but with what happened to Gale yesterday, I was sort of on edge.

I adjusted my clothes and tiptoed out into the dark kitchen, the floorboards making tiny little creaks as I did so.

I peered around the corner. Gale was still lying on the kitchen table, but he was actually sleeping, and he didn't look to be in much pain.

I heard scuffling again and turned in the direction of the noise. I let out a sigh of relief as I saw little Prim trying to reach the honey in the top cabinet. She had a glass out and a gallon of milk.

I walked up behind her. "Want me to get that for you?"

Prim spun around quickly, her eyes wide and her breath hitched in her throat. She let out a sigh when she saw it was just me.

"Yeah, thanks," she said. I grabbed the honey off of the shelf and handed it to her.

She silently poured a glass of milk and added a little bit of honey, then put it in this thing called a microwave, which heats things up a lot faster than an oven or a fire does. The Capitol had all kinds of contraptions to do all the work we had to do ourselves for them with just a press of a button.

I put the milk and honey away for Prim and then followed her out into the living room.

"So what are you doing up at 5 in the morning?" I asked her.

"I was letting Buttercup in," she said quietly, pointing at the beaten up tabby cat who was already snuggled up next to her on the couch. "What about you?"

I sighed. "Couldn't sleep."

She nodded in understanding and then sipped a little bit from her glass of warm honey milk. I was reminded of that honey champagne stuff from the Capitol.

I looked over at Gale. Was he really ok? Was the pain gone? Or was it just because he was sleeping that he looked like he was ok? Was he going to be permanently damaged?

"He's going to be ok. Don't worry. Mom will take care of him," said Prim, almost as though she had read my mind.

I turned to her and smiled a little. "I know. I just can't help but worry."

Prim nodded again and sipped more of her honey milk.

"Gale really does love you. He told me so," said Prim suddenly, breaking the silence that had fallen between us. Grogginess was creeping in on her as she finished her milk.

"Really? And when did he say that?" I asked her with an attempted smile.

"When you guys went to that party. Me and him and Clove were sitting in here, and we were talking about you guys," Prim began. "I brought you up, and he said 'Jade. She's a unique girl.'"

"Did he now? And what else did he say?" I asked Prim.

"Well then I said, 'Yeah I know. You love her, don't you?' and he said the sweetest thing ever. He said 'You know what? I do. She's the best thing that's happened to me since I met Katniss and you and your mother. I just keep wishing I could tell her that.'"

I felt a sudden wave of affection for Gale come over me. "Really?"

Prim giggled. "Really."

I smiled to myself. A real smile.

Prim yawned, and as she did so, my own tiredness kicked back in.

"You go on back to bed, Prim. I'll wash your cup out for you," I said.

"Thanks," Prim said, handing me her cup.

As I washed out her cup and set it in the sink, Prim just sort of stood there.

"Do you need something?" I asked her gently.

"Can you…can you sing to me? It calms me down, makes it easier for me to fall asleep…" Prim said.

"Of course. Come on," I said, scooping her up in my arms. She giggled as it took her by surprise.

I walked quietly into her and her mother's room and laid her down, then covered her up.

Prim closed her eyes. "Can you sing Deep in the Meadow?" she asked tiredly.

"Sure." I said.

"Deep in the meadow

Under the willow

A bed of grass

A soft green pillow," I sang lightly, and Prim's breathing began to slow down.

"Lay down your head

And close your eyes

And when they open

The sun will rise," I sang. I knew by then that Prim was asleep.

I walked back to the room where Clove lay and lay down next to her again.

I closed my eyes and returned to dream land. Or, rather nightmare land, as I could never escape all the memories of the arena.

**Cat POV**

I woke up to morning light streaming in through the window. There was heavy snow coming down outside, so bad that you couldn't even see anything. The clock on the wall read 10:00.

I stretched out a little on the bed and then staggered out into the kitchen, where everyone was awake.

"Morning Cat," said Elizabeth. I waved at her, still trying to wake up a little bit.

Gale was still unconscious on the table. His back had healed somewhat, but it still didn't look too good. I figured that if we kept giving him that medicine Madge brought, he'd be almost healed in a few weeks.

Everyone was just sort of sitting on the couches in the living room. I sat down next to Jade.

"I called your father, Jade and Clove, and I called yours too, Peeta. I called Frankie, Cat. That storm is brutal, you'd get hurt pretty bad even if you just walked out into it. That hail is terrible. There's clothes here that you can wear, but you'll have to stay until the blizzard passes," Elizabeth said, walking into the living room with some crackers and this stuff called honey butter. I guess she could tell that no one wanted to eat anything much.

Everyone was too worried about Gale and the storm and everything to really care about eating, anyhow.

Elizabeth sat down with us and noticed our silence.

"Gale is going to be fine, guys. Don't worry. I'm going to go put some snow coat on him. That medicine from Madge is really helping him," she assured us.

"Yeah, I'm gonna be fine," said a weak but familiar voice.

Everyone rushed over to Gale, whose eyes were open a little bit.

"How are you feeling?" Jade asked with worried eyes.

"I don't feel anything," Gale said quietly. "It doesn't hurt. But I don't have much energy."

"He needs food. He hasn't eaten for a long time," said Elizabeth.

"What do you want to eat?" asked Katniss.

Gale thought for a moment. "Just some bread and butter and jam. Figure a little sugar won't hurt, right?" he said with a little attempted smile.

I went into the kitchen and prepared what Gale asked for, then brought it out to him. He took little bites of it.

"When can I sit up?" asked Gale, some strength returning to his voice as he downed one piece, then another of the bread.

"Let's give you some more medicine and let that work first. I'd say you've still got a while," said Elizabeth, retrieving the medicine Madge had brought yesterday.

Gale nodded, his eyes drooping again. He had lost so much blood that it was a miracle that he could be awake right now, even for this short time.

The medicine was injected, and Gale didn't even wince. The effect was so instantaneous on him that the needle didn't even bother him.

The only downside of the medicine was that it made him tired. It only took a couple minutes for him to want to go back into unconsciousness.

**Gale POV**

The figures in front of me were blurring in and out, so I could just barely make out who was who. The blackness was starting to creep in on me again.

There was only one thought on my mind, and I felt this overcoming urgency to say it before the blackness cut me off.

My thoughts were jumbled, like I was drunk or something, so it was hard to even talk. I scrunched my eyebrows as I tried to speak.

"Jade, I never got to tell you this in person," I said, my voice sounding distant, like it was far away.

Jade said something that I couldn't understand, but I could see the look in her eyes, the same urgency, so I continued.

"I love you," I said. Dark spots appeared in my already clouded vision, and the sounds I heard seemed like they were a million miles away.

"I love you too Gale," Jade replied. It was so crisp, so clear, unlike everything else. Maybe it was because I just needed to hear that reply to completely relax, I don't know, but I swear it seemed like that was the only thing I could hear.

I think I might have smiled before unconsciousness won me over and my world faded to black once more.

**Katniss POV**

I sighed as Gale finally confessed his love out loud for Jade. And Jade loved him back.

Good. It was about time that the two of them moved on from their past loves and found someone who loved them just as much.

Gale fell back to sleep again as the medicine did its work on him. The rest of us relaxed our tensed muscles and went back to sit down on the couches.

"So…what now?" asked Peeta, taking a bite of cracker and honey butter.

So many thoughts were running through my head. My cheek was hurting relatively badly, but I wasn't worried about that at the moment. My mother must have been, for she brought out a huge bowl of snow coat and a cloth.

"Can you guys do me a favor? Can you put some on Katniss's cheek and put some on Gale's back since he's asleep now? There's healing herbs in it this time," said my mom. "I'm going to make some lunch."

"Mom I really don't-" I began. Typical me.

"Katniss, yes you do. I know you're worried about Gale healing, but you need to heal too. Alright?" Mom said.

I nodded, smiling a little. After all the years of what had happened between the two of us, she still loved and cared about me without even a hint of hesitation or anything.

"Alright, lay down missy," Peeta said. I sighed. Guess I didn't have much of a choice now did I?

The others moved off of the couch so I could lay down, and I lay my head in Peeta's lap. I closed my eyes as he rubbed the snow coat covered cloth on my throbbing cheek. The pain was numbed almost instantly.

Once he was done, I opened my eyes. I was quite comfortable.

Peeta handed the cloth and bowl to Prim and Cat, who were eager to be 'doctors' and help Gale. I smiled at their childishness.

"What are you buggin' about?" asked Jade, who seemed to notice that I was deep in thought about something.

I snapped out of my trance and turned to her.

Seeing as Clove was walking into the kitchen to help my mom, I decided to tell her what I was thinking.

"We need to arrange to talk to Haymitch when this blizzard ends. I have some ideas…" I told her.

There seemed to be two options for us all right now. either A, we all run away into the woods and live happily ever after out of the Capitol's grasp (or happily for as long as we can out of the Capitol's grasp) or B…we help lead the rebellion that's bound to happen with district 8 already having an uprising.

Jade nodded, not questioning my motives. "I'll call Haymitch."

She got up to do so, and I looked up at Peeta.

"I'm gonna go take a bath. I just need some time to relax. Things have been a little crazy for a while, you know? Too many thoughts. It's giving me a headache," I said.

"Alright. We'll be out here," Peeta said as the two of us got up.

I headed off to the bathroom to take a steaming hot bath.

**Time Jump – 2 Days Later**

**Peeta POV**

The past two days had been pretty uneventful. We watched on hopelessly as Gale continued to fight against the horrible injury to his back. The blizzard raged on and on and we were stuck at the Everdeen household for two days straight.

Finally, the storm stopped this morning. Haymitch called us and said that he would meet us in the Meadow at 10:00 in the morning. The victors, that is.

So now I lead you up to this point. Jade, Cat, Katniss, and I were standing together in the snowy Meadow. Katniss's cheek was still pretty swollen and red, but not as bad as it had been. We were all bundled up in warm clothing, waiting for Haymitch to arrive.

And finally he did. He staggered over to us. He had a bottle of vodka in his hand.

"This better be good," he said. ah, there's the Haymitch we all know. He took a swig of his drink.

"We need to run away," Cat blurted out. I sighed. I guess we're cutting right to the chase, aren't we?

Haymitch's eyes widened as he almost choked on his vodka.

"Are you insane? No! That's crazy!" he said almost angrily.

"Well what else are we going to do? With Snow breathing down our backs every freaking second, all these things he's threatening to do…" said Jade, starting to get a little agitated. The Jade I first met was starting to show through.

Haymitch's immediate anger subsided.

"Look. All I'm saying is that running away won't do you any good. The Capitol would surely find you. And anyway, running from your problems doesn't solve anything," he said exasperatedly.

I nodded in understanding. He was right after all.

"Alright. Then we stay," Katniss said. Haymitch nodded.

"Now you're back to sanity," he joked. Jade rolled her eyes a little bit.

"And help lead the rebellion that's bound to happen," I finished for Katniss.

"And now you're insane again," Haymitch said, taking a drink. "Guys, let me tell you something. You can't fight the Capitol. There is just no way around it, unfortunately. My advice is to just go with the flow, and nothing can happen to you and your families. Ok? Katniss, Peeta, you should get married soon. That's what they want right now after that proposal. Jade, Cat? Keep being fearless and fierce like you've been."

Cat sighed, her face taking on a look of defeat. Jade nodded, knowing as well as the rest of us that there was nothing we could do really.

Haymitch softened at the sight of Cat's face. His hard edge dissolved.

"I'm sorry guys. Better to break it to you hard than sugar coat it," he said quietly so we ourselves could barely hear him.

Katniss sighed and nodded. "I know. Thanks, I guess."

Haymitch nodded.

"Well, I guess call me up if you need me," Haymitch said, waving at us. We waved back as he walked away.

The weight of the world seemed to come crashing down on me at that moment. We were stuck in this Capitol life forever. Like puppets on strings, playing the Capitol's stupid little games.

I couldn't change whether the Games changed me or not anymore. I was forced to let them change me.

We just stood in silence, stone cold expressions plastered on our faces as what we had been told sunk in.

"Katniss, remember what you said? We've just got to take this day by day," said Cat, trying to make things better.

Katniss nodded and attempted a smile.

"You're right, Cat. Day by day," she said. "Day by day."

There was a little bit more silence before Jade spoke up.

"Did you notice how many Peacekeepers there were around today? Thank god we weren't trying to go to the woods or we'd be screwed," Jade said, saying the last sentence under her breath.

I nodded. "That Head Peacekeeper, Thread, is turning this place into a police town," I said.

I looked around, and suddenly I noticed the familiar sight of smoke against the blue sky.

"Oh my gosh," I said. The others turned to me, and I pointed at the tall tower of black smoke.

As if by some sort of unspoken agreement, the four of us headed towards the source of the smoke at a brisk pace, but not fast enough for the guards to falsely suspect anything.

We reached the burning building, and to our horror, the Hob where Katniss used to trade at was burning to the ground.

"We've got to help them," said Cat, looking at us with pleading eyes.

"There's nothing we can do," I said, my voice sounding sort of hollow.

And though everyone tried to deny it, it was true. The Capitol was going to start slowly ruining the lives of the people in district 12, and we can't do anything about it.

_Day by day_, I thought to myself, trying to calm my emotions. _Day by day._

**A/N: Not the best, I know. Also sort of a filler. Things will start moving along soon, I promise bear with me please.**

**Reviews are still appreciated though! :D**


	16. District 13?

**A/N: So I have some news for anyone else (other than knd number 7) who is reading this story. Just want you to know, there will be a new character making their appearance soon. It is an original character by knd number 7. I will also be contributing my own character. They won't show for quite a while, but just thought I'd say that there would be new original characters soon.**

**Jade POV**

It has been a month, and the conditions in district 12 have only gotten worse. There is now hardly any work for people, and there is not nearly enough food for everyone. Those of us living in the Victor's Village are trying our hardest to ration our food to the people of district 12 and have just enough for ourselves. We all know what it's like to live hungry, so we have agreed that we can deal with it for a while if we have to.

Gale has healed completely, and he went home. His little brother Rory has committed to tesserae, where you get enough grain and oil for an entire year. Unfortunately, that adds more slips with his name on them in the reaping ball.

Katniss has helped Hazelle out. No one would go to their business because they didn't want to be associated with the family because of Gale's actions. They mean no harm, really, they just want to stay safe is all. We all understand. But because of that, Hazelle had no work. So Katniss arranged for Hazelle to be Haymitch's housekeeper.

Haymitch isn't doing well, because the district's supply of liquor has been cut off.

For much of this month, all of us have been staying at Katniss's house, taking care of Gale. Frankie and Dad have been out of work for almost two weeks now, so they go around during the day helping out in the district where they can. They have created sort of a tag team. They both get up and leave around six in the morning and arrive home whenever they feel their job has been done for the day.

With our freedoms being cut off more and more, and times getting more dire, those of us living in the Victor's Village are basically trying to keep the whole district going.

So, up to the present.

I stared at the clock on the wall in the kitchen of the Everdeen household. Things had been fairly settled for the morning, so everyone except Frankie and Dad were back home now. Oh yeah, and Elizabeth had been out helping too, and Prim wanted to go with her. It was almost ten in the morning.

Out of nowhere, there was a knock at the door.

Just as I was about to get up and see who was there, the door opened and in came Effie, Cinna, and a camera crew.

Cinna held some hangers that had what looked like dresses on hangers covered by a thin black zip-up cover.

Dresses?

"Oh hello everyone! So nice to see you again!" said Effie in her pitchy sing-song voice.

We all said our normal greetings as the cameras started rolling.

"Now, we have brought some very special things today, straight from the marvelous hands of Cinna. He designed these himself," Effie said, gesturing to the hangers in Cinna's hands. Cinna smiled brightly.

I still was clueless as to what in the world these dresses were for.

"Katniss, would you like to come look at them?" asked Effie.

Wait a minute. Katniss. Dresses.

And suddenly it clicked, and my heart literally stopped.

Cinna and Effie had brought Katniss's wedding dresses that she was to choose from.

I had conflicted emotions. Part of me wanted to cry of happiness that Katniss finally got to see the wedding dresses for her wedding with Peeta. Part of me wanted to cry because I know that Katniss and Peeta would never have wanted their wedding like this. All controlled by the Capitol.

I don't think it clicked for Katniss yet, because she just nodded slowly and walked forward.

Cinna unzipped the first dress, then the second, then another, until they were all unzipped and in plain view.

THAT is when it clicked for Katniss and the rest of us. Katniss gasped and her hand flew to her mouth as she looked at all of them.

They were absolutely gorgeous. Of course they were, because they were designed by Cinna. And that was one thing that I could tell Katniss absolutely loved about these dresses. They weren't designed by some random Capitol person. No, these were designed by someone very close to us.

"What do you think, Katniss?" asked Cinna.

"They're all so beautiful Cinna," said Katniss. She smiled at him, and he smiled back at her.

"What do the other victors and friends think?" asked Effie, motioning to the camera crew to come near us.

She started with me.

"They're absolutely amazing, Cinna," I said with a smile.

Effie went down the line of us until she got to Peeta, who had been standing directly next to Katniss.

"And Peeta. I know this is quite untraditional, you seeing these dresses. But, I must ask, what do you think of them?" asked Effie enthusiastically.

I swear Peeta's eyes filled with tears.

"Cinna, they are absolutely amazing. I can't wait for the day that I see Katniss walk down the aisle to me in one of these," he said in a slightly strained voice. "She's going to look so beautiful."

Effie turned to the camera, her hand over her heart. "So charming and loving."

They got a few more shots of Katniss talking about the dresses and just plain looking at them, and then Effie did some sort of "outro" as the call it, and then they stopped recording.

"Great job guys. See you soon!" Effie said, waving at us all before leading the crew out of the room and out into the still somewhat cold air.

I looked over at Cinna, who had walked up to Katniss and hugged her.

He whispered something to her that I couldn't hear, then handed her something. I saw Katniss trying to fight back tears and nodding.

"I'll see you guys soon. Take care, alright?" said Cinna. He ended up going up the line and hugging everyone, because he is a caring person like that.

He waved once more and walked out of the room.

Katniss's breathing became heavy and almost panicked.

As soon as we heard their car starting up and leaving, Katniss darted into the study. All of us followed her.

**Katniss POV**

I leaned against the wall of the study, trying to catch my breath and stop the reeling in my head.

This isn't how it was supposed to be. Peeta and I's wedding. The Capitol is controlling it completely. We don't get any say in it so far. They have officially taken over our lives completely. Not just mine and Peeta's. No, they've taken over mine, Peeta's, Cat's, and Jade's. And we can't do anything about it.

But I just wanted our wedding to be special. I didn't want it to be forced. I wanted Peeta to propose when he felt ready and felt it was the right moment, not because he felt forced to because of the Capitol's 'needs'. I didn't want anything publicized, except for maybe just the fact that we were married – AFTER it all happened. I didn't want there to be a camera crew documenting everything about it, and probably even the wedding itself. I didn't want to feel like we had limits with the wedding, as to what we could say and everything.

But they took that away too. The Capitol took something as sacred as that away from us too. And it was making me feel a complete loss of control. And to be honest, I was scared. For the first time in a while, I felt scared of the Capitol's grip on us.

Everyone rushed in behind me, and Clove was first to rush to my side, followed by Peeta and the others as well.

"Katniss? Katniss look at me," Clove said frantically. Peeta put his hand on one shoulder and Cat put her hand on the other.

"Just calm down, okay? Just breathe," said Jade soothingly.

I felt like a child having some sort of tantrum, and everyone was trying to calm me down.

My breathing soon returned to normal, and my head stopped reeling.

By that time we were all either sitting or lying on the floor. Peeta had me lay down and I put my head in his lap. Jade and Clove were sitting next to each other right by Peeta, and Cat was laying on her stomach, facing me.

"Well that was embarrassing," I said, trying to lighten the dark feeling in the room. I smiled pretty convincingly.

Everyone, even Jade, who's been kind of angry for the past month, smiled back at me. I guess all of us being in a room alone calmed her down some.

"Don't worry about it," Peeta said, leaning down to kiss me lightly on the lips. He stroked my cheek involuntarily, and I wasn't going to be the one to stop him, because it was keeping me calm.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Cat asked me.

I sighed and nodded slightly.

"I just…I don't know. For a while, it seemed like things were going pretty well. But this past month, everything has been going downhill," I said. Clove nodded understandingly, and the others just kept listening.

"Don't get me wrong, the dresses are absolutely gorgeous, but everything just feels so…forced and controlled nowadays. I just wish it didn't have to be like this," I said.

There was silence as everyone absorbed my words.

"I never wanted it to be like this either, " Peeta admitted.

More silence.

"Sometimes I wish I could just forget about the Games," said Cat. Her voice was small and quiet, like she was scared. But no, she couldn't be, because Snow said so.

"But I don't want to forget," Peeta said. we all looked up at him, hoping he had a reasonable explanation as to why on earth he would say that.

"Just think. If the games never happened, when would we ever have met each other? When would we ever have become friends and stuff?" said Peeta.

I took that into consideration. The friendships I had with the people in this room were sacred to me, and now that I had them, I couldn't imagine my life without them. And Peeta. I love him so much that it hurts sometimes. What would I do without him?

"Good point," said Clove. Everyone sort of just smiled and nodded.

I was still shaken up inside from the wedding dresses arriving. I think it sort of "woke me up" and made everything so much more real. I wanted to just get up and run to the woods, alone.

But it was so comfortable in Peeta's lap, with all of us together in a quiet room. I was having second thoughts on what I wanted to do.

Though as time dragged on, I got more and more anxious and decided I just had to go. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Look, I really don't wanna leave you guys, but everything is just so-" I began, but Jade cut me off.

"Katniss, we understand. Just go, we'll be here when you get back," she said understandingly.

I nodded. "Thanks," I said, almost sheepishly. I sat up and kissed Peeta lightly on the lips, then headed out into the woods.

**2 Hours Later – Cat POV**

The four of us were in the study ever since Katniss left. We had never spent any time in there, but it was quiet and calming and we knew we would be spending a lot more time in here from now on.

Frankie and Jade/Clove's dad were still out somewhere in the district. That wasn't uncommon for them; they have stayed out until past midnight before. Prim and Elizabeth had come home not long ago. We didn't know they were home until they both walked in, and we were explaining everything that had happened.

"And then Katniss started getting a little overwhelmed, and we had to calm her down. She was still pretty worked up though so she went off to…to the Meadow," I said, knowing that I couldn't say the woods, though that was obviously where she had gone.

Prim and Elizabeth nodded.

Suddenly there was a loud and hard knock at the door. No normal person would knock that hard unless A) something was really wrong or B) they were coming to hurt someone.

All of us left the study and headed into the main area, where two Peacekeepers had already invaded the home.

"What do you want?" Jade spat, her defensive side kicking into high gear. She pushed me and Clove behind her, and Peeta did the same with Primrose.

"Calm down, we're not here to hurt you," said one of the Peacekeepers. Their tone said otherwise.

"Where is Ms. Katniss Everdeen?" asked the other one calmly.

I tried to think of a believable lie, but as if on cue, Katniss opened the door and walked in. She was obviously in pain, and by the way she was limping, I assumed her right ankle was hurt somehow.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the Peacekeepers, and she just stared expectantly at them.

"What happened to your ankle?" asked one of them, cutting right to the chase. He had a suspicious tone in his voice.

"I was…I was going to get something for my little sister, Prim. You told me to go to a place in the east side of the district, yet the place you wanted me to go to was in the west," said Katniss to Prim, hoping that Prim would play along.

"I said west though," said Prim. So she was playing along too.

"You said east, Prim," Katniss said calmly.

"Pretty sure she did say west. I think you're a little tired, Katniss," Peeta said, chuckling, trying to lighten the mood.

Katniss smiled a little too. "Guess so. Sorry Prim, I'll go out later for you."

Prim chuckled. "It's okay."

The Peacekeepers seemed to buy it, but just barely.

"Alright then. We came to inform you that the fence along the district is going to be on from this point forward, with a lot of electricity. You will get injured if you try to get through it," said one of the Peacekeepers. I sighed. I guess they knew about Katniss going into the woods.

Katniss just nodded silently, and the Peacekeepers left without another word.

Clove and I immediately rushed to her side and helped her hobble over to the couch and lie down. Without a word, everyone started getting things for her. Peeta sat next to her and whispered sweet nothings to her, knowing she was probably still pretty distressed. Jade elevated Katniss's injured ankle with a stack of pillows. Clove got an ice pack and put it on Katniss's ankle. Then everyone sat around her and waited for her to start talking.

"The fence was electrified, like they said. I jumped from a tree and fell on my ankle," she said very very quietly.

Everyone nodded curtly, so that it was just barely noticeable.

And then suddenly, Katniss is spilling out everything that happened to her while she was in the woods.

She came upon two District 8 runaways named Bonnie and Twill. They had run away with little food, only some bread with Katniss's mockingjay sign on it. They said it was to show that they were on "her side", whatever that meant. She said that they told her about what happened in District 8. Ever since the Games ended, the district started thoughts of rebelling. After we visited there, the district actually rebelled. They thought it'd work but it didn't, and they were punished really bad by the Capitol. They were trying to get to district 13.

"But it doesn't exist!" Jade whispered.

"I know. I'm getting there," said Katniss.

She said that Bonnie and Twill thought they knew there had to be something left of 13, because when they show the footage of the Justice Building, there's supposedly this same mockingjay that flies up in the left corner every single time. I said that I would watch for that, to see if it was for real. Katniss then continued. Bonnie and Twill were only able to escape the district because they were at the school when the Capitol was bombing the area. Twill's husband died in the factory he worked in because it was bombed. Anyway, Bonnie and Twill thought that district 13 existed, and that it was rebuilt, that the Capitol was hiding weapons or information or some sort and that they were hiding something, planning something there.

Katniss said she explained district 12's situation and then replenished their food supply with whatever she had brought out with her.

"I wonder just how involved in this 'rebellion' that I am, that we all are, cuz of that mockingjay symbol. And I also really don't think 13 is there," said Katniss, finishing off her speech.

Everyone's eyes were wide as the reality of this all set in. The rebellion really was starting. Just how far was it going to go?

I sighed, trying to stop all this thinking. It was literally hurting my head.

"Just remember guys. Day by day," said Peeta.

I tried to keep thinking that, but it was getting harder and harder as each day came and went.

**Peeta POV – 1 Week Later**

The past week had involved Katniss recovering, us helping her out, and Cat and Clove studying all the TV programs as hard as they could to see if that footage of 13 that Bonnie and Twill talked about was real.

During Katniss's recovery, we had found ways to entertain ourselves and keep ourselves sane with all the pressure being placed on us. Katniss and I had decided to make a book about special herbs and all the information we knew about them. Katniss described, and I drew and wrote it all down. We finished it today.

All of us were now sitting in the living room on the couch, watching a program on TV. Finally, after watching all week, there was supposed to be some district 13 footage, according to Cat and Clove.

Katniss was cuddled up to me in my arms, a position she had assumed a lot nowadays. She said it made her feel safer.

Anyway, Cat was sitting next to Prim, and Jade was sitting next to Cat. Clove leaned against Jade, and Elizabeth was sitting next to me and Katniss.

We watched anxiously when that screen showed up of the Justice Building. And, to our utter shock, Bonnie and Twill were completely right. There was a mockingjay that flied through the left corner. If you watched close enough, you could even see when the recording started over again, because a few seconds later, the mockingjay appeared again.

"So…does this mean…?" asked Cat.

"I don't know yet. I really don't know, " I said honestly. Maybe the Capitol was just being too lazy to go out and shoot new footage.

Part of me wanted to believe that there was something going on there, something good for us districts and not good for the Capitol. But I didn't want to get my hopes up, so I brushed the thought off.

"So what now?" asked Prim quietly.

That was a question that lingered on our minds every second of every day, because everything just seemed like it was getting all too crazy for any human being to handle.

My head reeled as I tried to process what had been happening for the past month or so.

"I don't wanna watch you guys go through this anymore," said Clove quietly, her vulnerable side showing. Her voice was much like a scared little kid's.

Jade sighed and hugged Clove closely to her. "There's nothing we can do about this, Clove. We've just gotta get through it."

**Katniss POV**

I sighed as Jade said the same thing we have all been thinking all along. I had started to give up on everything, but then I thought of the rebellion in district 8.

As I listened to Peeta's heartbeat, I just hoped against hope that maybe that rebellion could evolve, and we could writher free from the Capitol's iron grip.

**A/N: So I know this is probably not that great. I sort of dragged this out a little more than needed.**

**Hope it was still worth reading though. Don't worry, the story will pick up soon enough, and it will start getting exciting. **


	17. When You Thought It Couldn't Get Worse

**A/N: Hello, how's it going? So I am actually pretty convinced that there is more than three people reading this story, because I checked out the stats and I have quite a few views on each chapter. I was worried that no one was reading it anymore. Nonetheless, reviews still make a huge difference and let me know what I should be doing and what people like. So I still greatly appreciate all the reviews I've gotten **

**ON TO THE DRAMA! Things happen in this chapter. **

**Jade POV**

Months have passed, and it was now springtime. We've all felt a complete loss of control of our lives. We weren't necessarily what you'd called depressed. No, we were just returning to our old ways, our old hobbies, and things like that.

I'd become much more hostile than I want to, and I immediately regret every time I snap at my friends, but they understand. Cat has returned to her childish ways, as what I assume to be a way to try and dilute the pressure of reality. Katniss spends much of her time trying to get over the fence and into the woods, but usually just ends up being in the Meadow all day. I often found Clove throwing knives at a tree. Peeta has just been baking and decorating everything that he can.

But of course we were still there for each other. Not that anything major had happened, but we weren't growing apart. We were just finding our own ways to work with reality, to survive it even.

We did still have a tradition going, though. Every morning, we would go to the Everdeen household and eat breakfast together as if nothing was wrong at all, and no one was hostile or childish or anything. But as soon as we got out that door, reality was to be faced again and our walls were rebuilt.

So that's where we were now. We were eating Prim's favorite, French toast, cooked specially by Peeta this morning.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and then the prep team barged in. Octavia, Venia, and Flavius all squealed as they saw us all, going up and down the line and hugging us. I groaned, I did not want to deal with anyone from the Capitol except Cinna, because he is actually civilized and doesn't look like a freak.

"Now, I know we weren't supposed to be here for three weeks, but we just couldn't wait! Katniss, we're going to remake you to-"

"Beauty Base Zero, for the wedding photoshoot. I know," Katniss said miserably. I looked over at her with sympathetic eyes.

"Yay! I love weddings! There's so many flowers and pretty dresses! Except people are always crying and there's a lot of champagne afterwards…" Cat said, rambling on about whatever she knew about weddings.

"You're going to look beautiful," Peeta said to Katniss before she sulked off to the bathroom to be remade for the shoot.

I finished the last few bites of my breakfast and headed out to the Meadow, which was rather unlike me. As I said before, that was Katniss's job.

I sat down in the now green grass, running it through my fingers.

**Gale POV**

Not having anything to do for the day, I headed out to the Meadow, expecting to find Katniss there as usual. Instead, I saw my lover, Jade.

She was just running her fingers through the blades of grass, not making a sound even when one left a little cut on her finger.

Guess after all the injuries one would face in the arena, a cut as small as that is nothing.

"You look lonely," I said as I approached her from behind.

She let out a yelp and turned to me, eyes ablaze with none other than anger that quickly subsided. But not before she called me out on it.

"Gale Jordan Hawthorne! Don't scare me like that!" she snarled at me. I was used to it. Over the past few months, she'd grown sort of hostile, but I understood.

"Sorry, I-"

"Jadelynn, it's fine," I said, sitting down next to her.

Without a moment's hesitation, she leaned against me and put her head on my shoulder.

"Why did you call me Jadelynn?" she asked me quietly.

"Well, a pretty name like that should be said sometimes, not just shortened," I said with a smile. I looked down at Jade, who had the slightest trace of a smile on her face.

"Thanks, Gale," she said to me. I nodded, and we stared out at the Meadow.

There was a small period of silence as we stared out into the distance, not really knowing what to say.

"So, if I may ask, how come I found you instead of Catnip?" I asked Jade, looking down at her.

She sighed. "She had a wedding photoshoot. Trust me, I don't think she was looking forward to it. Feel bad for her," Jade replied shortly.

I nodded. I couldn't imagine the pressure on Jade and the others that the Capitol is putting on them.

"You'll get out of this one day," I whispered to her, and wrapped my arms around her.

She leaned back into my arms and listened to my heartbeat. "I hope so."

**Clove POV**

Katniss had been in her Beauty Base Zero remake and photoshoot for about an hour, and I had spent about half of that hour outside my house in my usual place, in front of the tree, throwing knives from the kitchen.

Mr. West, who I had learned to call Dad, walked outside into the yard and tapped my shoulder.

I threw one last knife, hitting the tree exactly where I aimed, then I turned to face Dad.

"Yes?" I asked him.

"Are you alright? And do you know where Jade is?" he asked me.

I sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Jade's in the Meadow," I told him. He nodded in understanding, and then left me to my knife throwing.

**Cat POV**

I sat in the Everdeen household, playing a few notes on the piano that had been brought up as a gift around Christmastime.

I suddenly remembered a song that Katniss had shown me on her little music player that Cinna gave her months ago, when these dresses first came in.

It was called Crawl by a group called Superchick. I liked it a lot, and I tried figuring it out on piano while I waited for Katniss to be done.

"And if I had to crawl will you crawl too?

I stumble and I fall, carry me through

The wonder of it all is you see me through," I said quietly.

I smiled at how even after not singing for a long time, my voice still sounded good.

I returned to playing random notes and bits from songs I could think of.

Suddenly a new thought for a song came to my mind. Just the tune, anyway.

I hummed it to myself, then started adding background piano to it.

Now for words…

I tried to reach down and bring up any thoughts I'd been thinking, and suddenly I had it, like the whole verse was etched into my brain already and I just had to uncover it.

"Everyone thinks that we have it all

But it's so empty

Livin' behind this Capitol

Behind this Capitol," I said out freely, even though there were Capitol people in the home. I doubted they could hear me.

"If we should tumble, if we should fall

Would anyone hear us screaming behind this Capitol

There's no one left to call

Behind this Capitol," I sang. Like I said earlier, it was as though the words were just suddenly THERE. I was pretty pleased with the song.

Finally Katniss came back out of her wedding shoot, looking exhausted. Her prep team had allowed her to change into some comfortable clothing and they were all clapping and screaming excitedly, followed by a just as excited Effie and a tired looking Cinna.

I walked up to Katniss. "Yay! You're back!" I chanted excitedly.

"Cat, I never left. I was still in the same house as you," Katniss said with the slightest of laughs.

I giggled for no reason. "I know."

The prep team walked into the living room with us and continued to praise Katniss about her beautiful smile and talked about how amazing the pictures would be.

Katniss just faked a smile until they left. Then it was just Effie and Cinna left.

"You looked beautiful Katniss. Now I've got to go, I'm getting my hair done! See you later!" said Effie, prancing out the door in her heels.

Only Cinna stayed behind, and he was pinching the bridge of his nose as if to fight off a headache.

"I'm sorry for their obnoxiousness. I have to go too, though. I'll see you soon," Cinna said, then waved at us.

"Bye!" I said back, and he chuckled a little. Katniss just waved as she collapsed onto the couch.

It was a little past 2 o'clock when I looked up at the clock on the wall.

"You know what we haven't done for a while?" asked Katniss. She looked up at me expectantly.

"Whatty?" I asked her.

"We haven't sang together all that much. And as far as I can remember, that's really helped our moods when we did," Katniss replied, sitting up on the couch.

I smiled and nodded. "Do you know where Clove, Jade, and Peeta are?"

"Peeta's at the bakery probably. Clove's in her backyard throwing knives, I saw her through the window. I think Jade said this morning that she was going to the Meadow. I'll go get Jade and Peeta if you go get Clove," offered Katniss.

My smiled widened so much it almost looked like a grimace. I nodded and ran outside to get Clove from the West's backyard.

**Peeta POV**

I glanced up at the clock and noticed that it was about 2:15. I looked down at the picture I had been drawing on the notepad I found in the drawer earlier. It was a picture of Katniss's mockingjay pin, and I was proud of it.

I heard the door open and I looked up, then found myself face to face with Katniss. I smiled at her and walked up to kiss and hug her without even asking why she was here.

After I had greeted her, I did ask what she was doing here.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked Katniss, and I coaxed a tiny smile out of her.

"Remember when we sang together on the train that one day? How it made us all feel better? Well that's what we're doing right now. Tell Rye you're leaving, we're gonna go get Jade from the Meadow," Katniss said. I guess I didn't have much of a choice.

I took off my apron and shoved it in my compartment, along with the drawing, and said, "He'll figure it out soon enough."

The two of us walked hand in hand out the door and towards the Meadow.

When we got there, we did find Jade, but we also found Gale with her. They were staring out into the distance in silence, Jade buried in his chest.

Katniss looked over at me and actually smiled at the sight. I think she was glad to see Jade relatively happy, after she had been so angry these past few months.

The two of us walked nearer to the couple, and Gale turned, looking scared at first but relaxed once he saw who it was.

"Hey guys. We were going to ask if you'd care to join us at my house? We thought maybe if all just sang together for a while that it might make us feel better," Katniss said softly.

Jade and Gale both seemed to have to really think it over, before they finally decided to come over.

**30 Minutes Later**

We were all in the living room of Katniss's house, and Cat sat in front of the piano.

We searched through Katniss's music player for a good song to sing. I came across one that always got me choked up, because it reminded me of Rue and Amelia and Tori.

I showed Cat the song, and she nodded.

She started to play it.

"I just have to believe

She flew up to Heaven on the wings of angels

By the clouds and stars and passed where no one sees

And she walks with Jesus and her loved ones waiting

And I know she's smiling saying

Don't worry 'bout me," I sang, with the backup of Katniss, Gale, and Jade.

We had to stop there, because Jade and Cat were both about to cry and we couldn't let that happen, because we never knew anymore what the Capitol could see and couldn't see.

We kept singing, for literally hours and hours, until our throats were begging for mercy and it was time to get something to eat.

For the first time in a while, we were all genuinely happy again.

**Late the Next Day - Katniss POV**

All of us were seated around the television in the living room, as we were informed that we needed to watch a program tonight. Prim assumed it was about my wedding dresses. I hoped it wasn't, but I knew she was right, no matter how much I tried to ignore it.

The program, and sure enough, she was correct. There was a whole long program about people getting to VOTE for my wedding dress. See, I didn't even get to pick my own wedding dress! That's how much they're controlling us all! And I hate it so much!

I calmed myself from my internal rage as the next part of the program came up.

Caesar appeared and explained the whole thing about the Quarter Quell.

"Oh my god, they're gonna reveal the Quarter Quell," I heard Cat whisper. My whole body went numb, except for my heart, which was pounding hard against my chest. I swore it was going to break my ribcage.

Snow appeared on the screen to explain the first two quells.

"In the first Quell, the districts voted for which people would take their places in the Games," he explained. I thought about how horrifying that must have been for the entire district. To have to choose? That's just horrible…

"In the second Quell, twice as many tributes were sent into the arena," said Snow. Those were the Games Haymitch won…

And suddenly he was about to announce the third Quell. I absentmindedly grabbed the hands of the people closest to me, which was Peeta and Cat.

We all looked at each other, hearts pounding, faces white as sheets.

Prim looked up at me with scared eyes.

I sighed and faced the screen.

"For the third Quell, we will select two tributes as usual. But they will be drawn from the remaining pool of victors," said Snow. "That is all for the night. Have a good evening. Goodnight to all of Panem."

Silence. Capitol seal. Blackness.

My mind was not working right. What did he say? What was going to happen?

Prim started to cry and she leaped into my arms, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around her.

I stared distantly though, a confused look on my face.

I turned to the others, hoping they'd explain what was going on.

And suddenly, his words rang out in my head.

From the existing pool of victors.

Jade's breathing became heavy and labored, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She made a mad dash down the hallway, and I think you can imagine what happened afterwards. Tears began streaming down Cat's face before she could stop them. She cries when she is scared, she can't help it. Peeta's mouth was slightly open, as though he was looking for words. Clove had pulled her knees in and buried her face in them, and her whole body shook. Gale just stared blankly ahead, eyes wide, as he tried to comprehend the situation.

We were going back into the arena.

**A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Kinda. I don't know. **

**Please please please please please a thousand times please review! **

**Is it bad that my heart was literally pounding while I wrote this? I didn't even notice until I finished it, but I'm like freaking out…I get way too wrapped up in these stories xD**

**Hope you liked it though!**

**Oh and if you didn't know, the songs are Castle Walls (of course lyrics are changed) by Christina Aguilera, Crawl by Superchick, and Sissy's Song by Alan Jackson.**


	18. Reactions

**A/N: And now for the complete reactions and stuff for the Quell. So you know how I said I would be bringing in new characters soon? This chapter has my original character in it. Hope you enjoy! Sorry if you think I make everyone all too reckless.**

**Jade POV**

I leaned against the cool countertop of the Everdeen household. My head was reeling and I was vaguely aware of the fact that I was crying. I know I shouldn't have been but I couldn't help it.

My stomach was still churning, even though my dinner had just been emptied from it. I took deep breaths and closed my eyes.

The dizziness kept getting worse, so I leaned against the wall near the toilet, you know, just in case. I closed my eyes as memory after memory flooded my brain, even more vivid than they have ever been in my nightmares.

"No…make it stop…" I sobbed into my knees. I have never EVER in my lifetime broken down this way before. I was past sanity by now as I started rocking back and forth.

I felt cool arms around me, and through blurry vision I saw long brunette hair.

"Tori?" I asked quietly. The young, ghostly looking girl looked down at me.

"Yes it's me. You need to breathe Jade, you're scaring me," she said, brushing a stray hair out of my face.

I tried my hardest to breath in and out, in and out, and kept repeating that command to myself in my head.

It took about five minutes, but I was able to calm down. My head didn't hurt that much anymore, but my stomach still felt like it was trying to start a rebellion itself, and there were tears that threatened to spill over in my eyes.

"I just don't want to go back in," I said. "I've already spent the time between then and now trying to get the memories out of my head."

After realizing that only one person can remain victorious in the Games, my heart started pounding really hard all over again.

"But I guess I'll be able to get away from them. Forever," I said, and more tears spilled down my cheeks.

Tori sighed and put her arm around me again. "You never know Jade. But just know that if you have to go, we'll all be there to welcome you home."

There was a knock at the door. "Jade? It's Gale. Are you sick?"

I turned to Tori, who waved. She stood up and disappeared in thin air. After I didn't answer, Gale opened the door with a worried look on his face. He saw the state I was in and pulled me up and into his arms. He hugged me close to him and stroked my hair. I buried my face into his chest and closed my eyes.

"I'll never let you go," Gale whispered.

I didn't have the energy to reply, so I just wrapped my arms around him too.

**Cat POV**

As Gale snapped out of it and ran for Jade, I jumped up and ran out the door all the way to the Meadow, where I collapsed in the grass, breathing hard.

I never wanted to go back into those Games again. If I did, I would probably not be so lucky and get out alive this time. Might as well walk on over to the cemetery.

I just lay there in the grass, shaking, tears streaming down my face. I didn't want to move. I just wanted to lay there and wait until someone decided to come after me.

"Hello?"

The voice startled me and when I tried to yelp, a sob escaped my throat.

A young man, probably about 17 years old, ran up to me. He had dark brown hair with what looked like natural highlights. It was a little long but it was literally completely straight. He was muscular and about as big as Gale was.

"Hey, are you alright?" he said to me as he brushed the hair out of my face. His eyes went wide as he saw who I was.

"Oh my gosh…you're Cat Valentine. You're a victor…which means…" he said, trailing off at the end of his sentence.

I nodded as more tears streamed down my face. I pulled my knees up into my arms. I didn't want to do anything at all.

"You look like you could use a hug," he said. I glanced up at him. He opened his arms out wide, and even though I didn't know him, I jumped into them without a second thought.

He held me close and I took deep breaths. He smelled like smoke. He must have lived near the mines before they closed.

His heartbeat was slow and steady. I closed my eyes and just listened to it.

"My name's Sam Lee," the guy said to me. I looked up to him and through my tears I smiled. I don't know why, but I felt safe in this man's arms. Part of me felt like Robbie wouldn't like this, but I knew that he wanted me to move on.

Wait a second. I just met this guy, why am I already in love?

"My name's Cat. But you already know that," I said with a little giggle. Sam smiled at me.

We turned and faced the distance beyond the Meadow and just stared while I tried to get the tears to cease.

**Peeta POV**

My mind was racing at a thousand miles an hour as I realized what I would have to do. I knew that Haymitch could go into the Games, but he wasn't fit enough to do that. I kissed Katniss on the forehead as she held a crying Prim and ran over to Haymitch's house.

I was hit with wine and liquor fumes that made tears come to my eyes. I guess that triggered more tears to come, and by the time I reached Haymitch I was a mess.

"Hey, kid, calm down, alright? Just breathe and tell me what you wanted to say," Haymitch said, awkwardly patting me on the shoulder. I did as he said and tried to wipe the tears off of my face, but they just kept coming.

"Haymitch, I'm not letting Katniss go into the Games alone. But I don't want to die if she makes it out, and I don't want to make it out if she were to die. And you will NOT take my place, I will not hesitate to do something until you let me go in with her. I can't live without her. Haymitch, just HELP ME!" I said, screaming the last words as I buried my face in my hands.

"Peeta, all you can do is volunteer for me if my name is called and go in! Protect her! Love her!" Haymitch said to me in complete seriousness.

"And what? Either lose her or leave her? I can't do that to her," I said. I wasn't necessarily upset about the fact that I could die, I was upset about what it would do to Katniss.

"We will do everything in our power to get you all out again, okay?" said Haymitch quietly and under his breath so only I could hear.

I looked up at him through my blurred vision and sniffled. "You mean it?"

"Of course kid! I wouldn't lie to you about that!" he told me. I nodded and hung my head in my hands.

Haymitch poured something into a glass and handed it to me.

I sniffed it. "I'm not drinking alcohol," I said plainly.

"It's honey champagne. I snagged some from the Capitol at that party. Figured you might like some," Haymitch said quietly.

I took a sip without a second thought. I closed my eyes. Even though it was from the Capitol, it was a flavor that always calmed me.

Once I finished, I thanked Haymitch and sulked back to the Everdeen household. On the way, I saw Clove lobbing knives as hard as she could through angry tears in their backyard. Figuring she could use some comfort, I walked over to her.

**Clove POV**

_Crack. _That was President Snow. _Crack. _That was everyone who's ever hurt Jade. _Crack._

Every time I lobbed a new knife into the tree, I thought of someone who had made our lives absolutely awful.

I had gotten past the sad stage. I'd cried all the sad tears. No, these were now angry tears, and each one practically burned my face.

"Clove?"

I turned to see Peeta standing there, his face red as an apple, cheeks still wet. My anger didn't subside though. Seeing him hurting just made me angrier, and I threw the last knife as if it was a heavy spear at the tree with a yell. I screamed because I had pulled a muscle while doing it.

"I am SO. DONE! I am SO TIRED of the Capitol SCREWING UP YOUR LIVES! Are they BLIND to how much damage they're causing or are they JUST PLAIN STUPID?" I screamed at him. Peeta's eyes widened in shock as he looked for how to respond.

I just stared down at the ground silently.

"They're just evil, Clove. They're evil," Peeta said with a thick voice as he walked up to me.

He opened his arms for a friendly hug and I didn't hesitate to lean into them.

After a few minutes, I sniffled and took a deep breath. "I'm hungry. All that screaming and crying and knife-throwing really sucks the life out of a person," I said, trying to crack a joke.

Peeta smiled a little.

Suddenly we saw Katniss run out of her house and just start running towards the woods.

"You should-"

"She just wants to be alone. I know her like that. Come on, let's go get something at the bakery," said Peeta. I nodded. If anyone knew how to read Katniss, it was Peeta. And I was too hungry to deny his offer.

He headed off and I followed behind him.

**Katniss POV**

I just ran and ran until I reached the woods. I saw the electricity in the fence and kicked the dust in anger at the fact that I couldn't escape anymore. Because I was mad and stupid, I tried to climb over it.

"OW!" I screamed. A burn mark appeared on my hand where I had touched the fence.

"That was smart, Katniss," I mumbled sarcastically.

I walked along the edge of the fence, not caring if I was found. I had just given up on everything.

Suddenly, I thought of Peeta. if I wanted to get home to my family again, Peeta would have to die. And so would Jade and Cat, too.

It made me sick that I would even think this, but if Haymitch went into the Games, I could get back to Peeta! But I didn't want to lose anyone.

But I guess it's not about what we want anymore. It hasn't been since we won the Games last year.

I thought of losing Peeta, or Cat, or Jade. And the thought was just too much to handle. I just couldn't think right now.

Not even knowing what to do or say, I ran all the way back to the Victor's Village until I reached Haymitch's house. I barged in without even knocking. Haymitch just glanced up at me.

"I can't let Peeta go into the Games," I said plainly.

"So you'd rather I go in?" he asked me. Of course, make me admit it out loud.

"I-"

"It's ok, I get it. Peeta was just here though…he said he would basically blackmail me if I tried to take his place," he told me.

"NO! NO I CAN'T LOSE HIM!" I screamed at Haymitch. Haymitch wasn't even fazed. I bet Peeta yelled at him too.

"Katniss, he won't stop at anything," he said quietly. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do."

I just slunk down in a chair and stared at the wall. I was too numb to do anything.

"Then you make me a deal," I said to Haymitch more harshly than I wanted to.

He nodded. "What do you want?"

"This time, we try to get Peeta out," I told him, plain and simple.

He sighed, knowing Peeta would protest if he knew what I wanted. But he agreed anyway.

I just wanted to not feel anything anymore. I looked at the drink in Haymitch's hand.

"You have another bottle of liquor?" I asked him.

"Sweetheart, you really shouldn't-" he protested.

"Haymitch please," I said. "I just want all these feelings to go away."

Haymitch gave in, as he always did to me, and handed me a bottle of liquor.

I opened it and took a huge drink of it. It burnt going down my throat, but just that sip made an adrenaline rush go through me. it took away the pain though. And that's what made me take another drink. Then another.

By the time I was halfway through, I was dizzy, and I couldn't see straight.

"This is great," I said, slurring my words as I tried to focus on Haymitch.

He chuckled. "Go home, Katniss."

I stumbled up and out his door, then headed over to my own house.

**Prim POV**

Slowly but surely, everyone had returned back to our house. Gale took Jade out of the bathroom, but she was lying on the couch with a trash can next to her. She was still not feeling good. Cat returned, still crushed, with a young man named Sam Lee. He was sitting with her on the floor, trying to make her feel better. Peeta and Clove came back from the bakery. Peeta was waiting anxiously for Katniss at the door, and Clove was laying on the other couch, staring absentmindedly at the ceiling.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Katniss appeared. She had a bottle of liquor in her hand that was halfway gone. She leaned against the door frame.

"Katniss," Peeta said, hugging her tightly.

"We have t-t-t-ooo….to rrrrun…" Katniss slurred her words, "awayyyy."

"Katniss, we can't," said Peeta, his voice breaking.

And suddenly Katniss dropped the bottle and it shattered to the floor. She blacked out in Peeta's arms.

It was about nine o'clock now.

"I'm just gonna take her to bed," said Peeta. He picked her up bridal style and carried her to her room, where I assume he was going to stay too.

I sighed. This was going to be a loooong night.

**Jade POV**

Though my stomach was killing me, I was able to fall asleep on the couch. But the dream I had was just as painful as reality.

_I tossed and turned in my bed. No matter what I tried, I couldn't sleep. Not with the Games tomorrow morning._

_I groaned and decided to go up to the rooftop, where I could get some air. _

_I saw a familiar figure staring up at the skies above._

"_Vega? Sorry, Tori?" I asked. Tori turned to me._

"_Oh. Hey," she said as I sat down across from her._

_We sat in silence for a while, before Tori started to spill all the thoughts on her mind._

"_Can you do me a favor, Jade?" she asked. I nodded slowly._

"_I would die to make sure that at one of the two little girls makes it back home to their families. Do you…do you think that if I die, you make sure you get one out, maybe even more if you can?" asked Tori._

_I sighed. She was right. If anyone was to get out, it should be a little one. They didn't deserve to die._

"_Wait…I know you're talking about Rue, but who else?" I asked her._

"_Cat…she's just so sweet and innocent. She doesn't deserve this. I just want her to get back to her family," Tori said, almost miserably. She looked over at me with sad eyes._

_I nodded. I guess we knew who we were trying to get out of the arena, didn't we?_

I woke up with a gasp. My stomach still hurt like crazy, but for some reason, the dream made me feel better. We did at least get Cat out.

I sighed. Not for long, I guess.

I closed my eyes again, willing my stomach to calm down. Luckily, moments later, I fell back to sleep.

The last thing I thought was "Day by day, Jade. And make each day great, because you're limited now."

**A/N: I TOLD YOU CAT WOULDN'T GO WITHOUT LOVE! :D this chapter probably wasn't the greatest, but I hope you still liked it. Reviews are appreciated! **


	19. All Over Again

**A/N: Hello! So if anyone is wondering what Sam should look like, think of Liam Payne (from One Direction) with a more bulky and muscular frame. Ok, on to the chapter! :D**

**Katniss POV**

The next morning, I barely had time to open my eyes before all the liquor from the day before started coming back up. I rushed to the bathroom as it expelled itself from my stomach. It burned twice as bad coming up than it did going down. When I finished, I was sweaty and trembling.

I decided to take a cool shower. I felt awful. I had a parched mouth, pounding headache, and a boiling stomach. I swore that this was what it was like to be poisoned. I threw up again right in the shower, but it didn't burn as badly as the first time. I groaned.

The cool water felt good. Once I was done, all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. But instead I put on cool underclothes and headed into the living room, ignoring my dripping hair.

Every step was painful and made me want to get sick again. I could barely see straight past the headache. I wanted to drink some water, but I didn't trust me stomach yet.

I found Prim and my mother in the kitchen, already awake. I opened my mouth to try and crack a joke, lighten the mood, but instead I found sobs forcing their way out of my throat and tears streaming down my face.

Prim and Mom rushed up to me and hugged me lightly, making soothing sounds and telling me over and over that everything was fine, that they loved me, that we were going to be alright no matter what.

"Katniss, listen to me. Honey, just calm down," my mom told me, letting go of me to look me in the eye.

I looked up at her, involuntarily taking in quick gasps of air. My wet hair stuck to my presumably red cheeks, and I looked like a child, I was sure of it.

"I'm – so – sorry!" I said, breaking down crying again in their arms.

Finally, after 5 minutes, the crying subsided. _So much for being strong, _I thought to myself as I wiped a few stray tears from my eyes. The crying had only made me feel worse, but I wasn't going anywhere until I knew everyone else was at least relatively okay.

I turned to my mom again. "How is everyone?" I asked, looking around the room at the various occupants.

She sighed. "Jade's had a rough night. Been getting sick about every two hours. Cat didn't want to leave Jade, so she stayed here. She's had at least two nightmares, both of which she's been crying about afterwards. That young man she brought here's name is Sam Lee. He lives alone in a tiny little shed somewhere, and he's not had a good life, or so Cat told me. Anyway, Peeta's just very worried about you, he's sleeping in the guest room. I don't think he went to sleep until about three this morning, he stayed watching you in case anything happened. And Clove just laid there staring at the ceiling for a long time, she was still up when I went to sleep," my mother explained to me. I immediately felt horrible for all of them.

I walked over to the living room. Jade was laying there with a pained expression on her face, arms around her stomach. Clove was just lying there sleeping, face void of any expression whatsoever. Cat had fallen asleep in Sam's arms, and they were sitting upright against the couch Clove was on.

All I wanted to do was take their pain away.

"I know you do, Katniss. Maybe you can help Peeta by waking him up and letting you take you back to bed. I can tell you feel horrible," Prim said to me. Did I think out loud? I guess so.

I nodded and trudged back to the room next to mine. I opened the door slowly and looked down at Peeta.

I could see visible tear stains on his face, which broke my heart again, if that were even possible. He was curled up in the fetal position with a blanket covering him. He looked miserable.

I walked over to him and shook him lightly.

"Peeta?" I whispered.

His eyes shot open, and he breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw me there. He jumped up and hugged me, soaking wet hair and all.

I squeaked a little bit because being held tightly like that felt like all my bones were on fire.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry. I was so worried Katniss, I –" Peeta stuttered, before I cut him off with a thankful kiss.

"Don't worry about me. But…can you take me back to bed? I don't feel good," I said, and as if to emphasize that, my stomach lurched again. I swallowed hard.

Peeta nodded. "Of course."

He picked me up bridal style and carried me into my room, then set me down lightly.

"Do you want covers on you?" he asked me.

"No," I said. "Thanks for offering, though."

I didn't want to do a thing. I just wanted to lay there until all of this crap got through my system.

"I feel like I'm dying," I groaned. Peeta laughed at me.

"What?" I asked him, a hint of a smile playing on my lips. I couldn't help it. He laughs, I laugh. He cries, I cry. You get the picture.

"You're not dying. You've got a hangover. Now go to sleep, I'll stay until you do," Peeta told me, kissing my sweaty forehead.

I smiled a little and closed my eyes. I was asleep in minutes.

**2:00 PM That Day**

When I woke up the second time, I felt considerably better. My headache was gone, and my stomach was only a little rocky. I had dealt with this kind of feeling before. It was like being so hungry you were sick.

I walked out of my room and into the kitchen and living room. I found that Jade was up and moving too, and she looked like she was feeling a little better as well. Cat was talking to Sam, with a worried expression on her face. Sam was trying to soothe her worries. Clove was sitting and watching a television show with a still blank, absentminded expression on her face. Gale had come by and was talking to Jade in the kitchen.

Peeta walked up behind me and grabbed my hand, looking like he had just woken up. I smiled slightly at his ridiculously tousled hair.

"What?" he asked me, as I had asked him when he laughed at me for having a hangover.

"Your hair looks ridiculous," I said, licking my fingers and trying to smooth it out. I fixed it somewhat, but he was going to have to take a shower to fix that mess.

"Feel better?" called my mother from the kitchen.

"Considerably. But still not good enough to eat or drink anything," I said to her, my voice hoarse and cracked, knowing that would be her second question. I feared that it wouldn't stay down for long.

Jade heard my voice and perked up a little.

"So, what happened to you last night?" she asked me, trudging slowly over from where she had been standing. Her voice sounded no better than my own.

I felt my face heat up, and Jade cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Katniss Lynn Everdeen, what did you do?" she asked me, making "tsk" sounds afterwards like a mother would when their little kid did something bad.

"I may or may not have gotten drunk last night and had a terrible hangover this morning," I said to her, and to my greatest surprise, there was a sheepish smile on my face. It wasn't natural to feel happy a day after you found out you were going to walk to your death in a couple of weeks.

Jade sighed and hung her head.

"Bet you learned not to do that again, didn't you?" she asked me with a slight chuckle. I nodded, reliving this morning. Not a fun time.

"So, how are you feeling?" I asked her as we sat down at the kitchen table together. Gale and Peeta had gone off into the living room to talk to Clove, who was still a little off.

**Jade POV**

"So how are you feeling?" Katniss asked me. I winced as I sat down. My whole body was still a little sensitive. Judging by the way Katniss bit her lip and closed her eyes for a second when she sat down, I would assume hers was too.

"A lot better than I did yesterday, that's for sure. But still not so great. It's almost like being so hungry-"

"That you feel sick? Exactly how I'm feeling. Along with the side effects of the flu," Katniss finished for me. I nodded. She and I seemed to react quite the same to a lot of things.

We sat in silence for a minute, before Elizabeth brought out two cups of warm tea.

Katniss and I looked up at Elizabeth miserably. I don't think either of us wanted anything to go down our throats at the moment.

"Girls, please. If this doesn't make you feel good, or it makes you worse, you don't have to drink it anymore. I just want to see if it will help you two," said Elizabeth. I sighed and nodded, then took a sip.

As I expected, it made my stomach do all sorts of flips and flops, and not the good kind. But I forced myself to drink it and keep it down, no matter how hard it was, because I knew we needed some sort of energy.

But, by the time I had finished the tea, the flips and flops had stopped, and I was left with a pleasant warm feeling replacing the awful sick feeling in my stomach. My body still ached though, so I'd just have to deal with that part.

Not long after we had finished our tea, two familiar figures knocked on the door and walked in.

Frankie and my father had come into the room. Frankie looked devastated and my father looked worried to death.

I stood up and walked over to him and graciously accepted the hug that he gave me when I reached him. I expected myself to just start crying and bawling like I did yesterday in the bathroom, but I didn't. I just stood there numbly while my dad held me close to him.

Frankie was hugging Cat close to him. Cat wasn't crying, but she looked like she could if something set her off. Sam just looked on sadly at the two of them.

"Clove? Clove, honey, come here," my dad said. Honey. He hasn't called either of us that since my mom died.

And that's when the tears came again. Clove walked up to my father and jumped into his arms, and he held us both close. He kept whispering things I couldn't understand. I saw Clove crying too.

When he finally let go of us, he looked at us sadly.

"Girls, I'm sorry I didn't come earlier. I just…wasn't ready to face it. How are you all doing?" Dad asked worriedly.

"I've been sick for the past day or so, and Clove's been really out of it," I said quietly, having to clear my throat a few times to get all the words out.

Dad sighed. "I should have been here for you guys."

"No, it's ok Dad. I understand. None of us took it well at all at first. We all went off and hid somewhere. I was in the backyard for a long time and didn't want anyone to talk to me," Clove explained. I remembered how she had been gone for about an hour and a half, plus another half hour since she and Peeta had gone to the bakery to get something to eat.

"I camped out in the bathroom for like, a half hour. And even when I came out, I wouldn't talk to anyone but Gale until Katniss woke up again," I explained to my dad, trying to reassure him that his reaction was only normal.

He nodded and sighed again.

"I'm not going to press you guys about your next moves, nor will I try and suffocate you even with the limited time. I'm going to let you guys do what you need to, because I trust you will do the right thing. I'm going to go back and work, we were helping some homeless kids a little while ago. You come find me whenever you want to, and I promise I'll do what you want me to do, ok?" said my father seriously.

I nodded, and more tears spilled over from both my face and Clove's.

Dad kissed both of our foreheads and headed for the door.

"Daddy, wait," I said. Daddy. I haven't called him that either since Mom died.

Dad spun around to face me, a flicker of disbelief in his eyes at the name.

"Here's a start at least. Please don't let this bring you down. And even if I don't come home, please just let me go and move on. That's what I'd want," I told him, and I could hear the desperation in my own voice.

He swallowed hard and nodded, then tried to discreetly wipe his eyes when he turned for the door.

I looked over at Clove as the door clicked shut. "You ok?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm alright."

Something in her tone made me believe her.

**Cat POV**

When Frankie finally let go of me, he started to ramble on like he always does when he is upset.

"Cat, I am so sorry for not being here sooner. I just didn't want to accept this yet, and I knew you probably wanted to be alone, and-"

"Frankie, it's fine," I said, cutting him off. "I understand. Don't worry about it."

He sighed and nodded, then ran his fingers through his light blonde hair. (Cinna had dyed it permanently for him when he came over once. Frankie likes the color. Cinna also permanently dyed my hair red, just the way it was when I went into the Capitol.)

"I'll give you your space, I know you've always liked that. You just come and get me whenever you want me, and I'll be here. Don't you worry about a thing right now, okay Kitten? Whatever ends up happening, you'll be alright," Frankie told me, holding my shoulders lightly as his eyes began to tear up. I nodded, willing the pricking in my eyes to go away.

Frankie's eyes averted away from me and he glanced over at Sam.

"Who's this?" he asked with a slight smile. He reached his hand out for Sam to shake.

"This is Sam Lee. I met him yesterday in the Meadow," I told Frankie. Sam smiled and shook Frankie's hand.

"Ooooh, Cat's got a boyfriend, Cat's got a boyfriend," Frankie teased me as he always did. I smiled at him. I loved how he could change his mood from sad to happy so that I wasn't sad.

"Stop Frankie!" I said. The "stop" was more like a "stawp" sound, the way a little kid would when they were pouting.

But he continued anyway.

"Cat's got a boyfriend, Cat's got a boyfriend," he said, poking me in the stomach and making me giggle.

"Frankieeee!" I nearly screeched. My stomach was one of my many ticklish spots, and he knew that very well.

Frankie laughed and surrendered. "Okay, okay. I'm gonna go help Mr. West now," he told me.

He looked up at Sam. "You take good care of her, alright?"

Sam smiled and nodded. "Sammy has this covered," he told Frankie.

Frankie smiled and clapped him on the back as he stood up to leave.

I looked up at Sam. "Sammy…I like it," I told him and poked him in the ribs. Sam chuckled.

"Then I guess it's settled. You and only you get to call me Sammy now," he said with his ever so charming smile.

I smiled back at him.

There was a moment of silence before _Sammy _asked me a question.

"You know how Frankie kept saying 'Cat's got a boyfriend' to you?" he asked. I nodded.

"Is that what we are? Girlfriend boyfriend?" he asked me.

I thought about it. I felt like I was falling in love with him. He was holding me close like a boy would with his GIRLFRIEND. We hadn't kissed yet, but I really wanted to.

"Yeah. I would say we are," I said with a smile.

Sammy smiled and pressed his forehead to mine.

"I come by the Meadow looking for a break from my terrible life, and then I meet you. And now I can call you my girlfriend," he said quietly, so I could only hear him.

"I am the luckiest guy in the world," he said even quieter.

I smiled at him and closed my eyes. I just wanted to live like this forever. With my friends and family and with Sammy.

**Peeta POV**

Fifteen minutes later, we were all seated in the living room. Cat had introduced Sam "Sammy" Lee to all of us, but made sure to say that only she got to call him Sammy.

Elizabeth had gone to lie down, as she was tired from staying up most of the night taking care of…well, us, basically. We all thanked her for taking care of us before she went to lie down, though, to let her know we appreciated it.

We were all spread out on the couches. Clove and Prim were sitting next to each other, and a sleepy-looking Prim was leaning on Clove. Prim was holding Katniss's hand as we sat next to her and Clove, and Katniss was lying back in my arms. We had put up the things called "footrests" so that we could stretch out our legs. Jade and Gale were lying in the same position as Katniss and I, and they sat next to us. Because Cat and Sam had been sitting up for the past 12 hours or more, they were laying down on the second couch, Sam behind Cat with his arm around her waist.

Haymitch had decided to come over, and he shocked us with some interesting news.

"I got rid of all of my liquor. That way I won't be tempted to drink, and neither will any of you," he said, eyeing Katniss when he said "any of you".

"I also have a plan. I know it's not allowed, technically, but 1, 2, and 4 do it, so why can't we?" Haymitch began.

"We are going to train. Myself included, incase somehow I end up going into the arena. The four of you victors will train with me. We are going to get up early and end up going to bed late. We are going to do everything that we can to try and get at least one of you home, okay?" said Haymitch.

We all nodded. The next few weeks would be rough, but worth it.

"Can I train with you guys? I don't have anything else to do," asked Gale. Clove and Sam agreed.

"Sure, you can help motivate. We start once everyone is done being sick," said Haymitch. We all nodded. With a brief wave, he got up and left as suddenly as he had appeared at the doorstep.

And so we did. We trained for a good eight hours each day, every day, for the next three weeks. Haymitch had a really rough time with it at first, but by the second week was doing relatively well. Surprisingly, Cat did really well. She never complained, no matter how obvious it was that she wanted to stop. Jade became some sort of machine, and so did Katniss, as they trained in everything they knew. I did very well myself, if I had to be honest. I don't mean to be bragging or anything. That's just what everyone kept telling me.

Anyway, we all gave our areas of expertise to try and have all of us go to the Capitol again with a well-rounded knowledge base.

By the time the three weeks were up, we had two days until the Reaping, and we knew exactly what we were going to do. One day was going to be spent sleeping, since we didn't get much of that for the past three weeks. The second day was going to be spent on goodbyes since we weren't sure if we would get the chance. Cat and Jade would have to leave at around 11:15 to make sure they'd get to their districts by noon, the time of the Reaping, on the fastest hovercraft the Capitol has.

I crawled into bed with Katniss. We were not sore, because we had been conditioned enough that all the hard work we did today did nothing to our muscles except strengthen them.

"Goodnight, Peeta," she said to me. I kissed her neck.

"Goodnight," I replied. We went to sleep, and didn't expect to wake up until about 6 AM the day after tomorrow.

**Clove POV**

It was about 7 in the morning on the day of the reaping when Elizabeth came and woke everyone up, wanting to spend some precious time with us all. She said that Dad, Peeta's father, and Frankie were here too.

I got up and got ready, putting on some comfortable clothes and taking care of all the usual hygiene stuff before I headed out into the kitchen to eat something with the others.

Breakfast was filled with a comfortable silence, with nothing but the occasional meow of Buttercup breaking it. It was after breakfast that all the emotions resurfaced again.

The victors first headed to their designated own parents/guardians/whoever had come to see them. I stood next to Dad as Jade walked up and hugged me so tightly that I could barely breathe. I held onto her like she was my lifeline.

When she finally let go, after what seemed like an eternity, I looked up at her with sorrowful eyes.

"I'll be alright. No matter what happens. Okay? Don't worry about me," she said. I nodded, even though I knew that not worrying about her was practically impossible. She and I both knew that.

"I love you Jade. You're my sister. Not my best friend, my sister," I babbled.

Jade smiled at me and nodded. "I love you too, Clove."

She kissed my forehead, and suddenly I felt like I was twelve and she was sixteen rather than I was fifteen and she was sixteen.

She hugged Dad tightly, and basically said the same to him as she did to me.

**Cat POV**

I hugged Frankie as tight as I could as we both began to cry. This was really it. This was probably the last time I'd ever see him.

"Please don't cry Frankie. I'll be okay," I said to him with a shaking voice.

"I just can't let you go," he said to me. I held on to him forever, until he decided to let go.

"Just be careful, okay Kitten? You're strong. Don't forget that," Frankie said to me in uttermost sincerity.

I nodded. "I know. I love you."

"I love you too," he told me. He kissed my forehead, and I turned my attention to Sammy.

"So this is what a broken heart feels like," he said to me through a thick, unsteady voice.

My heart broke into a million pieces at his words.

I practically jumped onto him, locking my arms around his neck and wrapping my legs around his waist. He didn't seem to mind though, for he held me tightly to him.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"For what?" he asked me. I felt a drop land on my neck, and I felt even worse because Sammy was crying.

"I should have never let myself get attached to you like this. Sammy, I don't want you to be hurt," I said in his ear, before nuzzling back down into his neck again. I breathed in. I loved the way he smelled. I know that sounds creepy, but I did.

"Don't be sorry for this. I couldn't be any happier that I met you and made you mine," Sammy replied.

I felt a smile creep onto my face, despite the tears and broken feeling inside of me.

I pulled back a little and looked at Sammy in the eyes. For the first time, I noticed the shade they were.

They were a very light hazel-brown color, with little specks of yellow in them. I felt myself getting lost in the wave of color.

"I love you Sammy," I whispered, and my voice cracked when I said his name.

"I love you too Cat," he replied, and more tears fell from his eyes.

For the first time, I kissed him.

**Peeta POV**

I don't know how long I hugged my father. He had always loved and cared for not just me but everyone in the district, despite who they were or what they'd done. He was my role model for many many years and still is to this day.

"Peeta, I'm not going to beg you to come home no matter what the cost. You know the your brothers and I, and even your mother, love you dearly, and want you to come home badly," my father began. "But I trust you to do what you think is right, and I'll let you decide what you want to do. Okay?"

I nodded, trying to get the prickling feeling in my eyes to leave.

"I love you," Dad said to me.

"I love you too Dad," I said, my voice cracking. Dad pulled me in for another hug and held on tight.

**Katniss POV**

My mother, Prim, and I were holding onto each other tightly for at least five minutes.

When we let go, Prim was a wreck.

"Katniss please don't go!" she begged me.

I pulled her close to me as I kneeled down.

"There's nothing I can do, Prim. Just remember that I love you. And even if I don't make it home, I'll always be with you, watching over you, keeping you from harm. Gale, Clove, Sam, everyone will take care of you, they already promised to while we were training," I assured her. I just wanted her to feel like everything would be okay no matter how things turned out.

Prim gave me a watery smile. "Okay. I love you, Katniss."

"I love you too little duck," I said quietly.

"Quack," she said. I smiled.

"Quack yourself," I replied, kissing her forehead before turning to my mom.

I hugged her again.

"You're a very brave girl, Katniss. I'm so proud of you," my mom said. "I just want you to know that. And I want you to know that I love you, and I will accept whatever decisions you make in that arena."

I was so glad that she understood my feeling of being torn on what to do, who to save.

"I love you too, Mom. like I said to Prim, I'll always be here, no matter what," I said.

Mom nodded, and a single tear fell from my eye.

I sniffled and wiped it away.

**No POV**

Last goodbyes were exchanged with everyone, and then the hovercraft arrived. Cat and Jade walked on, waving at their loved ones one last time. Clove, Sam, Frankie, and Mr. West kept themselves together until the door was closed and it was in the air.

Katniss and Peeta headed off to get ready for the Reaping.

It was nothing like the reaping they'd faced the year before. Everyone knew what was going to happen.

Effie had to take forever until she picked a slip which everyone knew had Katniss's name on it.

Haymitch's name was called, but Peeta immediately volunteered.

As expected, they weren't allowed to say their goodbyes. "New procedure" the Peacekeepers had called it.

And so they were whisked off to the Capitol, where they would join Cat and Jade once again in a matter of time.

**A/N: MAN that was a long chapter! As I type this I am now at about 4,760 words! Crazy!**

**Please read and review! Hope you enjoyed it! :D**


	20. Opening Ceremonies

**A/N: Hello! So here is where the real action stuff starts to pick up. Not much to say except that you're going to meet a new character again, which was created by knd number 7. Hope you like this!**

**Jade POV**

I sighed as I looked out the window of the train as it sped on to the Capitol. At this point, all I wanted was Cat, Katniss, and Peeta. I had to let go of Clove, Gale, and everyone else already. They're all I have anymore.

My partner in the Games this year was Brutus, who had been my mentor last year. He wanted me to be some kind of killing machine, because that's all he is.

"Oh this is going to be great. I am so going to win," he bragged. "No offense."

I just rolled my eyes and tried to tune him out. Unfortunately that didn't work, as he continued to brag about his sureness that he was going to win these Games. I tried hard as I might to keep my feelings to myself.

I remembered the story Tori told me about her trainride to the Games, which was scarily similar to right now.

I finally gave into my anger because I couldn't take it anymore. One, his bragging was annoying, and two, it made me think of what would happen if we all died and someone else really did win.

I turned and punched him square in the jaw.

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" I screamed at him, then trudged off to my room, where I scrambled to find the jacket I had brought along with me. In that jacket was a music player, which Clove had brought home for me one day after training. She had loaded it up with all the music she could find.

I searched through all of them until I found a calming one. It was called Somewhere Only We Know. It wasn't by the original singer though, it was a "cover" so Cinna had called it once. It was sung by some people named Max Schneider and Liz Gillies. Her voice reminded me so much of my own, it was crazy.

I played the song aloud as I lay on my bed and stared up at the ceiling.

**Cat POV**

My partner in the Games this year was a rather old man, probably about fifty or sixty, named Beetee. He seemed like a really nice person, and we were talking.

"Who is it that I volunteered for? You seemed to know her," I asked Beetee quietly.

He sighed. "That was Wiress. A…friend of mine. We had met before. She's quite…off."

I nodded. She didn't seem to be all there.

"But, she has this odd sense that allows her to sense things before anyone else picks up on them," Beetee added. That would be really interesting and helpful to have for these Games.

"Thank you for volunteering for her, by the way. I don't think she would have liked to have been back in the Games again. Yet, neither do any of us," Beetee said with a light laugh. I liked him. He was sophisticated, much more of an adult figure than a "tribute" per say. It was…comforting.

We talked for quite some time, about anything and everything.

**Katniss POV**

I was lying with Peeta in bed, and we were both staring out the window. We weren't talking, but the silence was comfortable. I guess we just needed the quiet.

I knew from this point on out, my only mission was to try and get Peeta out of the arena. Jade and Cat had agreed on this too, even though they had a lot to lose by doing so.

"I miss Cat and Jade," I said out of nowhere. I even surprised myself by saying it, I hadn't intended to think out loud.

"Me too. We'll see them soon. Come on, it's almost time for dinner," Peeta said, grabbing my hand and practically dragging me out to the kitchen car.

The dinner was very uneventful, but afterwards we were able to watch the reapings.

It was hard to keep track of them by ourselves, so I told Peeta to take half and I'd take the other half. District 1 was two tributes named Gloss and Cashmere, both of whom caught my eye. They looked deadly.

I watched as Jade was drawn, and she trudged up to the stage. A man named Brutus was drawn too, and he looked VERY deadly. That was someone we'd have to watch out for, I knew that for sure.

An older man named Beetee was picked as the district 3 male tribute, and then a woman named Wiress. Cat quickly volunteered though. Beetee seemed really nice. He would be a good ally.

District 4 consisted of Finnick Odair, the man whose body was flaunted by the Capitol all the time, and Mags, an elderly woman. Part of me didn't trust Finnick, but I figured we'd just have to see.

The only other people who had really stuck in our minds were Johanna Mason, the girl from district 7, Lulu Brown from district 9, and Chaff and Seeder from district 11. Johanna seemed deadly, and I wasn't sure what I thought of Chaff and Seeder yet. Lulu seemed shy, like Cat. I thought she would be a great ally.

That night consisted of awful nightmares for me, and I was only comforted by Peeta's shushing sounds and soft singing. We gave up on sleep and headed out to watch tapes of past Hunger Games. I guess now would be a good time to start strategizing.

We watched the second Quell, which stuck in my mind most. There were a few important facts from that one. For one, Maysilee, my mother's friend, was Madge's aunt. So the mockingjay pin had belonged to her. Haymitch and Maysilee teamed up for a while, but then Maysilee decided to go on her own and ended up dying. Haymitch found that the arena doesn't just come to an edge, there's a force field around it. That seemed VERY important. Haymitch used the force field to his advantage, too. When a girl was trying to kill him, she threw an axe, and because she and Haymitch were near the force field, Haymitch just ducked until the axe came back and lodge itself in the girl's head. That was when Haymitch won.

I could see the wheels turning in both Peeta's and my heads as we thought about Haymitch's strategy.

"That's really good thinking. That could work. We need to remember that," said Peeta.

"Worked well enough for me, as you seemed to have figured out."

Both Peeta and I jumped at the voice.

We spun around to see Haymitch. He was neither happy nor angry.

"Uh…hi, Haymitch," I said awkwardly.

"Go to sleep you two," he said tiredly. Peeta and I just nodded.

**Cat POV – Next Day**

I had literally woken up about an hour ago and was now being ushered hurriedly into the Capitol to get ready for the opening ceremonies tonight. It was about three in the afternoon. Our escorts and people had been nice enough to let us get some well needed sleep before we all got ready.

Since Portia, Cinna, and the prep team were the only ones willing to take care of us because we "defied the Capitol", we had to start getting ready now. I only just had time to meet up with Katniss, Jade, and Peeta before we started getting worked on.

I saw Jade first. She was looking around for us, and I called out her name.

She turned to me and ran full speed at me, hugging me tight when she got to me.

"I missed you," she said, even though it'd only been a day.

"I missed you too," I replied. No sooner had I said that than I felt strong arms wrap around me.

I hugged Peeta back willingly. "Hey Cat."

I smiled at him and then hugged Katniss.

We were immediately greeted by the prep team and stuff.

"Ok, here's the deal. We've got to get ready starting NOW. We're all going to have to split up and work quickly. Katniss, you're with me. Cat, you're with Octavia. Jade, you're with Venia. Peeta, you're with Portia. Flavius is going to go around and help get supplies to you guys," Cinna said calmly.

"You guys know the drill," Cinna said. We all nodded and headed to the bathtubs.

**Peeta POV**

I soaked down into the bubbles and warm water in the bathtub. I was in all too familiar quarters, in the Training Center. Katniss and Cinna were in the room across from mine all the way on the other side of the floor, getting ready as well.

Portia walked in with different soaps that I was expected to use and some undergarments.

"Fifteen minutes, alright?" she told me, handing me the soaps. I nodded, and then began the usual routine that I had grown all too used to over the past year or so.

After I had washed off my body, I scrubbed the soap into my hair and let it sit for a while, like Portia had instructed months ago. I wallowed in my thoughts.

I must have been really out of it, because the next thing I was conscious of doing was draining the tub water and stepping out of the tub. I was so into my thoughts that I rinsed out my hair without even thinking.

I sighed and shook my head, then stepped into the dryer-thing and waited thirty seconds until I was completely dry. I put on my undergarments and waited for further instructions.

Minutes later, Portia appeared again. She led me out into my room, where a rather interesting outfit was lain out, alongside a very comfortable looking outfit.

"We're going to have lunch first, then we'll finish the rest of the work," Portia told me as I pulled on the t-shirt and shorts.

I looked into the mirror to adjust my t-shirt and noticed that she started tearing up. I groaned inwardly. I didn't want to deal with any more tears from people. It just made what I was facing so much harder.

I headed out into the dining room area, where a comfortable looking Katniss, Jade, and Cat waited for me. Plates of food were lain out in front of us.

"I wanted us to have to work quickly so we could have a nice lunch. We've got an hour to eat," said Flavius as he sat down. I noticed that along with Portia, he, Venia, and Octavia were teary eyed. I noticed looks of annoyance on Katniss and Jade's faces, and even a slightly annoyed look on Cat's face. I could tell they felt the same about the tears as I did.

Cinna pulled all of them aside as we began to eat.

"Hope he's talking to them about all the crying. I can't deal with that anymore," Jade huffed. I nodded, agreeing with her.

Moments later, Cinna returned with the others and Effie and Haymitch appeared.

"We apologize for the tears. We know it must be hard on you," said Flavius as he began to take a few bites of his food.

We nodded.

The rest of the lunch went smoothly, and it was actually really enjoyable. Everyone was as close to happy and cheerful as you could get, and the food was great as usual.

Right after lunch, we headed back to getting ready for the ceremonies.

**Lulu POV**

Going into the Games again definitely wasn't the idea I had in mind. It was scary. I had just barely made it out alive, and there was no way I could make it out again.

The past day has been terrifying. I had won the 72nd Hunger Games when I was only 12, which was a miracle for me. I'm against hunting animals, so getting food in the arena was horrible for me. There was another alliance still standing, but for some reason, the Gamemakers sent the Feast to ME and only me so I could win.

I had been back to the Capitol since winning the Games but it was no fun at all. I hated the Capitol with every ounce of my being. They took EVERYTHING from me. I grew up with no parents or siblings because of THEM. The only people I grew up with were my two best friends back at home, Carly and Truth, Carly's seven year old sister. They lived on the streets. I had to go from place to place constantly to get food, water, and clothes, and even then it was a bare minimum. I am also very shy, so that doesn't help matters much. Oh, and did I mention I have dyslexia? So yeah, I always fear having to read things out loud somewhere or whatever.

I'm only fourteen now. I don't know if I can trust anyone here.

And now I was getting ready for the opening ceremonies with my stylist, Emily. She's been my stylist for the past few years, so we'd gotten to know each other really well. She was about the only one I trusted.

She finished the last touches and had me look in the mirror.

"Look good?" she asked me.

"You tell me, you're the stylist," I said with the slightest of smiles. She chuckled.

"Alright, let's go downstairs. The ceremonies are going to start in about a half an hour," Emily told me, and I just nodded. We met up with my fellow tribute, Jakob, and headed downstairs.

I made my way down to the place where all the tributes were gathered and talking. Many of them were friends. I on the other hand would never talk to any of the other tributes. They scared me.

I saw the four victors from last year all huddled together and talking off in a corner. Cat reminded me a lot like myself. I kind of wanted to talk to her, but at the same time I didn't. Jade just flat out scared me. Peeta seemed okay. And Katniss…I don't know. She was sort of a mix of all three of them.

**Katniss POV**

Peeta, Jade, and Cat went to walk around for a while, stretch out their muscles. So I was left alone by the horses for Peeta's and my chariot. I stroked the mane of one of the horses and smiled a little.

"Hello, Katniss."

I rolled my eyes and found myself staring into the sea green eyes of Finnick Odair.

"Hello, Finnick," I said with a voice that made it sound as though we've been friends for years, where in reality, I've only ever seen him on the television set.

"Want a sugarcube?" he asked me, holding out his hand. It was piled high with sugarcubes.

"They're meant for the horses, but they can eat them forever. Whereas we…well if we see something sweet, we better grab it quick," he said.

I smirked. "Nope, but I'd kill for your outfit."

Finnick was dressed in a golden net draped around him, knotted strategically around his "areas". He couldn't technically be called naked, but he was as close as you can get. I guess his stylists thought the more of Finnick the crowd sees, the better.

Finnick laughed lightly. There was a comfortable silence.

"I've got something else you might like, too," Finnick said, his seductive tone leaving him.

"If it's a way to win the Games, I'm all ears," I said with a sigh.

Finnick laughed again. "Nope, it's not that."

I groaned. Finnick was starting to annoy me for some odd reason.

"Secrets," Finnick whispered right in my ear. His breath was hot. "Dark, Capitol secrets."

Normally this would've intrigued me, but for some reason today it didn't.

"Well alright Finnick. You'd better go, my fiancée is coming," I said, seeing Peeta walk up to me after leaving Cat and Jade to get ready at their chariots.

Once Finnick was out of earshot, Peeta turned to me with a questioning look.

I told him everything that had happened, and used my best seductive voice when I told him about the sugar cube thing.

"He didn't," Peeta groaned. I laughed.

"Oh he did, trust me," I said, rolling my eyes.

We stepped into the chariot. Seeing as Portia and Cinna were nowhere in sight, we decided to just turn the packs on by ourselves.

The chariots started in as the anthem of Panem began to play. District 1's chariot took off down the Avenue of the Tributes. Cheers erupted as usual. Then, Jade and Brutus appeared. I smiled at Jade, she looked beautiful. Then Cat and a much older man named Beetee appeared. Cat looked gorgeous, and Beetee seemed really nice. Someone I'd have to keep in mind.

Then Finnick and Mags appeared, and the crowd went wild at Finnick's outfit, as expected. I just rolled my eyes slightly.

Johanna appeared soon, and then a little girl named Lulu. I had noticed her in the Reapings. She seemed so much like Cat, shy and innocent.

"We should try to talk to Lulu Brown sometime," I whispered in Peeta's ear. I kissed his cheek so that no one wondered what I was telling him.

And then suddenly it was time for Peeta and I to go out. Cinna had told us not to act happy or anything, just keep a straight face and act as though the crowd is below our notice. That was easy to do.

I took Peeta's hand as the crowd went crazy. We were obviously the highlight of the program tonight, because I hadn't heard applause like that since our fire costumes LAST year. I saw Jade and Cat smiling and giving us thumbs up. I winked at them to let them know I noticed.

The usual program happened next, and it seemed to drag on and on.

**Jade POV**

Finally the anthem played again, and I let go of Cat's hand, which I had been holding as we were in the chariots right next to each other. I needed her steadying, because the "parade" seemed to make the reality of this so much more prominent.

We reached the Training Center again just as the anthem ended. Cat and I jumped off our chariots and headed over to Peeta and Katniss, who had turned off their costumes already. They instinctively hugged both of us.

"So are we going to be social? I know Haymitch probably wants us to 'make friends'," I said, making air quotes as I said it.

"Might as well start now. Oh look, others have decided to start us off," said Peeta, motioning to Chaff and Seeder coming up to us. Haymitch and our stylists seemed to appear out of thin air behind us.

Haymitch greeted Chaff and Seeder with a warm smile. We introduced ourselves and talked for a little while, but nothing too interesting came up. Just some "good luck" things. I noticed that Chaff had lost an arm, and was left with a little stump where his arm should have been. At least he survived the Games, even with that price.

Before they left, Chaff gave huge, sloppy kisses right on the mouth to both Cat and Katniss. Both of them were stunned, and Chaff and Seeder just guffawed with Haymitch.

Cat shuddered and hurried to wipe off her mouth.

We were about to head up to our rooms when I noticed little Lulu Brown being lonely off in a corner.

"Hey…we should go talk to Lulu," I said. everyone nodded and we headed over there.

Lulu's eyes went wide when we reached her. "H-hi," she stuttered, her breathing shaky.

I smiled at her. "Hi. My name's Jade. Lulu, right?" I said, stretching out a hand to Lulu.

She shook my hand and her muscles seemed to relax. "Yeah."

Cat, Peeta, and Katniss introduced themselves.

"So, got any friends here?" asked Cat. Lulu sort of smiled sadly at her.

"Nope. I only have two at home in district 9. Everyone else here scares me," Lulu admitted, her stutter fading.

Katniss smiled.

"They scare me too, don't worry," Katniss whispered to her. Lulu giggled a little.

"How old are you now?" asked Peeta. "I know you won when you were twelve, so that makes you…"

"Fourteen," Lulu finished for him. "Fourteen and probably never going to see fifteen."

I sighed. I immediately wanted to get her out. I wanted all of us to get out. But we had a plan, and Haymitch would kill us if we strayed from it.

"Well, I'm 17 and probably never going to see 18. We all are 17. It'll be a miracle if we see 18," I said with a tiny laugh.

Everyone nodded.

"Well we'll let you go get some sleep, Lulu. It was nice talking to you," Peeta said warmly. He opened his arms slightly for a hug, and surprisingly, Lulu obliged. With that, the rest of us hugged her and headed to an elevator.

We were greeted by Johanna Mason.

**Cat POV**

"Ugh, darn costume," Johanna complained as she started taking it off. Except she didn't say darn.

I gasped and closed my eyes as she took off the rest of her costume, until she was naked other than her combat boots.

"Hey, sweetcheeks," Johanna said. I cracked my open to see who she was talking to. She was talking to Peeta.

I could see that Katniss, Peeta, and Jade were a little bit awkward around Johanna too, but especially Katniss.

Jade got off at her floor and I got off at mine, where Effie was waiting for me.

**Peeta POV**

Katniss shuddered once we reached the top floor. I chuckled as we walked into Katniss's room.

There were two pairs of pajamas lain out on her bed. One set was my size, the other set was Katniss's size.

"Did Johanna really have to do that?" she complained. I laughed again, but out loud this time.

"What?" Katniss snapped at me.

"There's a reason they're doing this to you. The other tributes. Chaff kissed you and Cat, and then Johanna stripped down and flirted with me," I said.

"Really, smart-alic? What's that?" she asked, playfully smacking my arm as she took off her crown and her boots.

"You're so pure! You and Cat both are!" I said.

"Me? PURE? I'm the one who daydreams about killing Snow," Katniss replied, whispering the last part in my ear.

"You wouldn't look at me naked in the arena when I got hurt and had to wash off, remember that? You're pure, Katniss," I told her as I started taking off my own costume too. "You freaked when I had my shirt off one morning too."

Katniss sighed, knowing I had won that battle. I smiled triumphantly.

"You're a brat, you know that?" asked Katniss. I just laughed.

"I'm going to go into the bathroom and put on the pajamas," said Katniss. I sighed and shook my head.

"You're pure," I taunted her. She groaned.

"I win again!" I said. "I am victorious!"

Katniss just laughed. I slipped off my costume and pulled on a shirt and a pair of shorts. I threw it off into the laundry hamper, knowing that someone would come get it after we were asleep.

Katniss changed into her pajamas as quick as she could, and the two of us climbed into bed.

"Wait, what about dinner?" she asked me as I was almost asleep. My stomach growled.

"I'm starving, but I'm too tried to care. We can eat a ton at breakfast tomorrow, or get a midnight snack if we need to. I just need sleep," I told her. She smiled.

"Deal," she said. I kissed her lightly and wrapped my arms around her.

"Goodnight, Katniss," I said to her.

"Goodnight," she replied.

It didn't take long for us to slip into our dreamland, where nightmares and good dreams alike awaited us.

**A/N: So that's not really "real action" or anything. But it's getting closer! Lol. I do hope everyone still enjoyed this chapter. **


	21. The Most Deadly Tributes in History

**A/N: Hello again! Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I'm sure knd number 7 is happy to hear that you all like Lulu (knd number 7 created that character). Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Cat POV**

I woke up the next morning to Beetee shaking me.

"Caterina, time to get up. Your friends await you on the twelfth floor," Beetee told me.

I don't know why or how, but suddenly I remembered Beetee and how I knew him. I had had this nagging feeling of déjà vu every time I talked to him, and especially when he told me about Wiress.

"That's how I know you!" I cried out as I remembered.

Beetee looked at me with confused eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"You were my mentor last year. And so was Wiress! That's how I know you!" I said and clapped excitedly. Beetee chuckled.

"I was waiting for you to catch on," he replied, patting me on the shoulder. "Now go on up and meet your friends. I have some things to discuss with some people."

I nodded. I headed to the bathroom to brush out my hair so it didn't look like a lion's mane, then washed up quickly. I waved goodbye to Beetee as I walked into the elevator in my pajamas.

I was a bit shocked to find Lulu on the elevator, looking confusedly at the numbers on the floors.

"Hi Lulu! What's up?" I asked her as the doors closed. She too was wearing her pajamas, which consisted of a tank top and long, gray pants.

"Oh h-hi Cat…just trying to get to the n-ninth floor…" said Lulu nervously. I nodded with a confused look in my eyes. How did she not know which floor was ninth? I mean I'm not the smartest and I can tell between numbers and letters and stuff.

"Oh. Want me to help?" I asked her. I could hear that her breathing was shallow and shaky.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I told her quietly. She cleared her throat.

"Uh…it's fine, you didn't…I'm just…yeah can you help?" Lulu said, still sounding pretty nervous. I nodded and pressed the L9 button on the elevator wall. I beamed and Lulu and she smiled back.

We reached her floor and she waved at me. I waved back as she headed inside.

The elevator doors closed, and the elevator began moving swiftly and noiselessly up the shaft again.

For the first time, I noticed the quiet music that played in the background. It was a soft piano ballad. I smiled at the sound. The piano has always been a comforting sound to me, ever since I was a kid.

I pouted a little as I reached the twelfth floor and had to get off the elevator.

**Jade POV**

I looked up when I heard the elevator doors open. Cat walked into the room and sat down with us, a little pout on her lips.

I cocked an eyebrow at her.

"I like the elevator music. Now I can't hear it anymore," she said. I sighed and shook my head. That girl confused me sometimes.

I looked over at Katniss, who just smiled and shook her head. Peeta did the same.

Breakfast wasn't anything too eventful. We didn't say a word about the Games or Training or anything. We did our absolute best to try to keep things on the topic of normal, less scary things. Effie, Cinna, and Haymitch were silent.

"I miss Sam," said Cat. I sighed. Maybe not the best thing to say, because it reminded me that we'd probably never see him again, but she just sort of thought out loud.

I looked down at my near empty plate as my thoughts were plagued by Gale. The short time we had together. I guess short was better than none, but it made the thought of having to leave him so much harder. Knowing what could have developed if this hadn't gotten in our way.

"We all miss everyone back home, Cat," Peeta said.

I suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. In fact, I was feeling a little sick. The reality of all this was starting to come back again, and I didn't like it at all.

"I'm not hungry," I said, putting my napkin on my plate and walking off into the living room. I pulled a chair up to the window and just stared out at the Capitol below for a while.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I gasped as I turned around. Effie smiled sympathetically at me. She wasn't wearing her wig which revealed her blonde hair. She was wearing pink silk pajama pants and a tank top.

"Jade I understand this is getting hard. I just wanted to tell you two things. One, we're going to get ready for the Training today. And two, if you ever need a mother figure in your life…" Effie said, trailing off at the end.

A smile played at my lips. I knew what Effie was saying. Though she couldn't really say it aloud as she was supposed to dislike us, I knew what she was implying.

"Alright," I said in a normal voice. "And thanks," I whispered.

Effie smiled and nodded.

"Let's go and get ready now kids! We've got a big, big, big day ahead of us!" Effie said, her annoying Capitol way returning to her.

**Katniss POV**

I dreaded the Training meeting and the Training today. In my mind, the meeting and actual training were pushing us forward towards our deaths whether we like it or not.

I know, I'm dramatic. But I mean come on; we were going to DIE in that arena soon!

I did everything I could to stall up until the very last moment. For a while I just lay in my bed and waited for Haymitch to come pounding at my door.

"Katniss, quit stalling, it's not going to make it go away! You're running from fear!" Haymitch said.

I groaned. Guess that didn't last for long.

I opened the door and glared at him, while he smiled at me triumphantly.

We went into the living room, where I found Peeta waiting for me. Cat and Jade couldn't be here with us because though Haymitch is of course very close to them, he isn't their mentor. They were meeting with their own mentors. I wonder how that was going…

Anyway, basically we spent about half an hour trying to strategize. Different theories were thrown back and forth, like it just being the four of us together or trying to join the entire ring of victors together so that they'd basically have to cancel the Games. (Peeta said the second one, not me.)

We finally decided that we needed to make allies, like we had been. Except don't look for friendliness, look for what use they'd be to you in the arena. I guess that's all we could do, honestly.

And then came the fun part. Actually GOING to training.

**Cat POV**

The meeting we had about strategizing for the Games with our mentor was kind of interesting. He was younger than Beetee, and Beetee had once been HIS mentor. Beetee really ended up saying most of the stuff, and the young mentor just agreed with him.

One of the things Beetee said was that he wanted to ally with me, Jade, Katniss, and Peeta.

"So now we go to the training. Ready to go meet the other tributes? Even though Beetee probably knows most of them and you already know three or four others, Cat…" said the mentor. I smiled and nodded. I was excited to see Lulu, Jade, Katniss, and Peeta again.

I nearly jumped onto Katniss and Peeta when I saw them in the elevator.

"Hi guys!" I said excitedly as Beetee stepped on behind me. I motioned to him.

"This is Beetee, my fellow victor. Well tribute now I guess. Anyway, he said he wanted to be allies with us. Isn't that great?" I said with a smile. I kept trying to act happy so that the situation doesn't get to me.

Katniss nodded. "That's awesome, Cat. Nice to meet you Beetee," she said.

She and Beetee shook hands, followed by Peeta. We then stopped on Jade's floor.

"Hey guys. How'd the meeting go?" she asked as she and only she stepped on. Brutus was yelling at someone on their floor so Jade just ignored him and got on herself.

"Great. Apparently, our goal is to make allies. Not just friends, allies, and look for their strengths in them. We already have an ally too. Jade, meet Beetee," said Katniss, pointing to Beetee.

"Pleasure to meet you," Beetee said kindly as he shook Jade's hand. Jade smiled and we all headed down into the Training Center together.

**Katniss POV**

We reached the Training Center, and Beetee immediately headed off to practice making fires without matches. The four of us gathered together momentarily.

"Split up?" asked Jade. I nodded.

"I'm going to the knot station," I said. I saw Finnick there and wondered if maybe, just maybe, that it was safe to talk to him and try to make him our ally.

It was decided that I would go to the knot station, Peeta would go to the camouflage station, Cat would go to the fire station with Beetee, and Jade would go to the hand-to-hand combat station.

I headed over to the knot station and began messing with a piece of rope, typing a simple knot that I remembered. My dad had shown it to me.

I noticed Finnick was tying all sorts of elaborate knots.

"How in the world did you learn to do THAT?" I asked him, fascination pulling me towards Finnick's fingers weaving knots almost subconsciously.

"That's a story for another time," he said, almost sadly. I briefly wondered what that could mean, but decided to let it go.

**Jade POV**

I had asked the person I was working with at the hand-to-hand combat to go hard on me. Now I was regretting it, because he punched me pretty hard in the gut and I found that I was sporting a bruise. No more hard hand-to-hand for me until the arena. And it's not like I need it anyway. I did get hurt, yes, but I knocked him out with a couple of kicks to the head right afterwards. He woke up later and actually congratulated me under his breath about how good I was.

So I was sort of hunched over holding my stomach as I walked up to Cat, Peeta, and Katniss for lunch.

"What happened to you?" asked Cat, obviously concerned.

I lifted up my shirt to show the bruise I was sporting. Cat gasped and Katniss and Peeta started to freak out a little.

"Did some other tribute hurt you? Oh I am gonna-"

"Katniss, chill," I cut her off. "I told the guy I was working with at hand-to-hand to go tough on me, and he did. No big deal."

Katniss let out a breath. "Nice choice, Jade."

I rolled my eyes playfully and smiled a little.

We ended up sitting with Beetee at lunch. Before we got there though, Beetee pointed out the force field around the Gamemakers. He mentioned that there was always a weak spot in the force field. Interesting…how'd he know that?

I noticed that Lulu was looking for a place to sit, and I flagged her down. She smiled and came and sat with us.

"Beetee, this is Lulu. Lulu, this is Beetee," said Cat, introducing the two strangers to each other. They shared a warm smile.

"Is she also a part of this alliance?" asked Beetee.

I paused for a moment to think. Was she? I mean we really had not talked about that, just tried to give her some comfort.

"Do you want to be?" asked Peeta, looking down at Lulu.

Lulu seemed to think over it carefully.

"Okay. Yeah, sure," she said with a light smile. We all smiled back to reassure her that everything would be alright.

We discussed a few things with Beetee in code over lunch. As far as we understood, there wasn't much rebelling in District 3 if any, and Lulu sort of caught on and mentioned that there was starting to be some in District 9.

We also discussed other possible allies. We all had different picks, and we were a little uneasy about it for a while, but we got over it and moved on, deciding eventually we'd pick or they'd pick for us.

After lunch, we all headed back into the Training Center and split up again.

This time, Katniss and I both went over to see Mags at the fishing station. I looked at Katniss like she was insane.

"What? She understands the principle of sacrifice. I watched her Games, trust me. I don't know why, but that seems to strike me the right way. She just seems…good," Katniss said, explaining her self.

I pondered over her thought process for a moment and decided that maybe she was right.

Mags didn't really say much. She did help us make fish hooks though. I guess those could really be useful for fishing in the stream or whatever.

**Lulu POV**

I was messing around with what I could find at the camo station, where Peeta was finishing his previous work from before lunch.

I noticed Katniss heading to the archery station.

_Katniss is a great archer…everyone's gonna freak and wanna be her ally, _I thought as last year's Games rolled through my mind like a movie.

And I was right. The second she had shot her third arrow in the heart of a dummy, about half the tributes ran up and begged her to be their allies.

But Katniss was picky. She didn't say yes to a single person. The people that did come after her were the vicious, killing machines that were out for blood. Katniss wasn't like that, so why would she want to team up with anyone who was?

The rest of the day was a blur. And so was the next week or two as we continued to train and train and train like no other. I was sure I had visited every station there was, so I felt actual confidence rising in my shy, dyslexic, panic-attack-prone self. It didn't happen often, so I was trying to hold on to it and keep it going.

So I bring you up to the present. I had just been in my little one-on-one session with the Gamemakers and showed them every skill I had. I guess I did pretty well, because they gave approving nods to each other every once and a while.

As I headed up to my floor, I passed Katniss and Peeta as they were waiting to go in for their sessions.

"How'd you do?" Katniss mouthed to me, not wanting to draw attention.

I shrugged and made an "okay" sign with me hand. She smiled and gave me a thumbs up.

**Peeta POV**

When it was my turn to go in, I was planning on doing the most amazing camouflage ever. I was going to lay on the floor of the camo station and paint myself into the ground completely, so that I literally looked like I was part of the fake grass they had put down, stream and all.

I thought of last year, and what I did. I did some really lame camo, but I was determined that this year's would be better.

But then I went back to my thoughts of last year. I thought of all of those who I had lost, who we had lost, during the Games.

And before I realized what I was doing, I heard a buzzer go off, and I was staring down at what I had just done.

I had painted, with the berry juices and everything they provided, a picture of Rue, Tori, Andre, Amelia, Beck, Robbie, and Cato.

Oh. Crap.

I could see the Gamemakers staring down at me furiously. A sudden feeling of rage boiled up inside me, and I stood up and made it known that I was proud of my work. Not with words, but with my gestures.

They dismissed me, and I left the room, mixed emotions filling me. I was proud that I had done something so beautiful like that. But I was also feeling dread as I wondered who would suffer for my actions, and what my score would be because of this.

I glanced at Katniss.

"Don't do anything stupid," I warned her. She just nodded awkwardly as I headed upstairs.

**Katniss POV**

When I walked in after Peeta had done his session, a huge portion of the floor was covered with rugs, and the Gamemakers were furious.

_Oh God, Peeta, what did you do?_

I sighed and tried to think of something good to impress the Gamemakers.

But then, I wondered, what if they LIKE the fire? Obviously they liked it last year because I got an ELEVEN for shooting a pig. What if…what if I did something more?

I was going to make them even angrier if that were possible. For what they've done to me, to us. For turning us all into murderers, making us act like people we aren't and never were, and never will be. For EVERYTHING.

I hurried to the camo station and grabbed some berry juice. I then grabbed some rope and a dummy.

I made a tight noose around the dummy's neck and hung it on a bar hanging from the ceiling. I looked up at the Gamemakers. Some were looking even angrier, some looked confused, and Plutarch Heavensbee just looked uninterested.

"Uninterested, huh? Maybe this will interest you," I sneered under my breath.

I wrote in berry juice on the dummy's chest, and when I was proud of my work, I turned it so the Gamemakers could see it.

Written in red juice that looked like blood was the name Seneca Crane.

Most of the Gamemakers look absolutely mollified, including Plutarch. Happy, but not yet satisfied, I go and uncover whatever Peeta did. The sight brings me out of my rage for only a moment.

There's a beautiful picture of all the ones we lost in the Games last year, and Peeta even signed it.

Had he meant to do this? Or did this rage overcome him just like it had done to me?

"Katniss, you may go now!" Plutarch said harshly.

I glared at him. I picked up the berry juice and made sure to fling it and get it EVERYWHERE before leaving and going up to the floor.

**Jade POV**

Dinner didn't blow over well.

It started off with a calm introduction by Cat and I of what we had done in the session. Cat said she threw a bunch of spears and a few other things, and she felt pretty good about it.

Effie was a tiny bit annoyed at what I had done. I went into hand-to-hand again, with the same guy I was with before, and wound up with a bruise on my arm this time. But I felt I had done well too.

It was when Katniss and Peeta announced their choice of weapon that everyone freaked out.

"I painted a picture," Peeta said. Everyone stared at him, confused. Katniss's face lost color, and then I knew something was up.

"Of…?" I questioned Peeta.

"Of everyone we lost last year. I painted them just like they were before they died, and I think I portrayed their looks of despair pretty well," Peeta said, obviously proud of his work. But I knew he was also scared to death of what would happen.

Cat nearly choked on a piece of food as he told this.

"Oh my gosh, Peeta. Katniss, please tell me you did something good?" Effie said hopefully.

Katniss's head turned to face the floor.

I took a drink of water, trying to calm my heart down. It was beating fast.

"I hung a dummy and wrote Seneca Crane on it," she said quietly.

I spit out my water. Thankfully I turned away from the table, but I was sputtering for air when I was done.

"ARE YOU INSANE?" Haymitch and Effie yelled simultaneously at them.

"They need a taste of their own medicine! They need to KNOW what they're DOING TO US!" Katniss yelled, her defensive mode kicking in. She added in a few not-so-nice words.

"But do you know who might pay for what you two did? You guys! Your FAMILIES!" Effie said back, almost urgently; desperately.

"Guys!" Cinna yelled, breaking up the fight before it got ugly.

"The scores are on, let's go watch," he said.

And so we did.

Our scores were MUCH better than I expected. MUCH.

ALL FOUR of us got 12 out of 12, deeming us as the most deadly tributes in the arena. And the first to ever do that in the history of the Hunger Games.

While all of us had a mini party right then and there, Cinna and Effie stared at the screen, obviously shocked.

Haymitch, on the other hand, looked mollified.

**Peeta POV**

"You four are now the most deadly tributes EVER. And everyone is going to want to gang up on you," said Haymitch.

Our little party stopped short. He was right.

I knew they were going to take it out on us somehow.

I tried to search for words to say, but I couldn't find any. All I could do was pray for the safety of everyone back home and pray that we didn't just obliterate any chances we had of surviving.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"But you're right, Haymitch," Cat said quietly, tears filling her eyes. What, she can't help it! She cries when she's scared!

Jade immediately hugged Cat. "We're all dead for sure now," Cat cried.

There was a painful five minute silence.

"Let's just go to sleep…" I suggested.

"But I don't want to leave this floor. Can I stay up here tonight? With Jade?" Cat asked, tears still streaming.

"Of course. Katniss and I can share a bed," I said, holding Katniss's hand. She hadn't said a word since Haymitch spoke his mind to us.

We slowly said our goodnights and dispersed.

Katniss and I changed into pajamas silently, and got into bed.

"We are so screwed," Katniss mumbled into my neck. She nuzzled in closer and I held her tight.

"Day by day, okay? We'll figure it out," I told her. "We've got a day off tomorrow, let's make the best of it," I said quietly, trying to comfort my fiancée.

I could feel Katniss smile into my neck.

"Alright. Talk to you tomorrow morning, Peeta," she said.

"I love you," I blurted out of nowhere.

She chuckled. "I love you too, Peeta."

And we fell asleep. I prayed for no bad dreams that night, as this already felt like a bad dream that was never going to end.

**A/N: Not sure how I feel about this chapter. Thanks to all my reviewers very much! It makes writing worthwhile.**

**Hope you liked this! Read and review as always! :D**


	22. The Beginning of the End

**A/N: Hello! Thanks for the reviews as always. I know this seems to be dragging ON and ON for like EVER and it's probably getting boring. I promise though that I am going to be getting to the good stuff soon. There's just more important stuff yet to go. Hope you like this! **

**Jade POV**

I was thankful for the day off we had yesterday. Katniss, Peeta, Cat, Lulu, and I got together and had a really nice day, and it was actually pretty relaxing. Haymitch got the doctors of the Capitol to help me with my intense pain from the bruising, and the bruises were no more than the size of a quarter now, which was amazing.

I felt like yesterday was a great time to connect with Lulu. Beetee was hard at work on something, which he told us nothing about, so he didn't join us. But Lulu had no plans, so we spent the day on the rooftop, away from everyone else.

Lulu told us more about herself. Her life in district 9, her two friends Carly and Truth, and everything about her.

She also revealed that she was dyslexic. And she hadn't told anyone that except her two friends.

**Flashback**

"_So that's why you didn't know which floor was which?" Cat asked. Lulu nodded, and I could see the panic attack coming on. Instead tears welled up in her eyes._

"_Oh I'm so sorry Lulu! I shouldn't have said that!" said Cat, remorse filling her eyes. She looked truly heartbroken over some relatively small. She had so much sympathy like that._

_Lulu sighed. "No, it's ok. It just feels good to finally open up about my life."_

_Katniss opened her arms a little to see if Lulu wanted a hug. Lulu obliged and hugged her tight. Katniss whispered comforting words in her ear. Lulu was silent as she tried to calm down._

**End Flashback**

So now we were getting ready for the interviews. Well I was already ready and so was Cat. We were both helping Katniss out because we knew Cinna couldn't do it alone and for some reason Portia, Flavius, Venia, AND Octavia were all having to take care of Peeta. He must have been wearing something special…

"So what am I going to wear?" Katniss asked Cinna as she stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a blanket. It was hot outside so the Capitol decided they had to make it seem like Antarctica in here. Katniss handed me one and I didn't hesitate to wrap myself up in it. She did the same to Cat.

Cinna sighed and sat down on the bed with Katniss.

"You're going to have to wear your wedding dress, chosen by the viewers here in the Capitol. President Snow's orders," said Cinna.

Katniss sighed. "Okay. I'm not gonna get mad, because it won't do any good…"

My heart ached for her. It just reminded her that she and Peeta probably would never get to marry each other, and I could see she was heartbroken.

"That's my girl. Now, you'll notice it's a little heavier than when you first tried it on, but don't worry, there's a reason. Arms to the sky," Cinna said, holding out Katniss's dress. I recognized it immediately from the photoshoot.

Cat and I closed our eyes out of courtesy until Katniss said the dress was on.

As expected, she looked gorgeous in it.

**Cat POV**

Katniss's dress was gorgeous, and she looked absolutely stunning in it.

"Girls, can you help me out here? I'm going to do her hair, do you mind fixing her dress?" asked Cinna as he went to work on Katniss's hair.

"Now Katniss, at a key point in time, I want you to twirl for me and lift your arms up to the sky. You'll know the key moment, you'll feel it. Trust me, it's going to be amazing," said Cinna with a warm smile. Hmm. What's he got in store for her?

Jade and I adjusted the straps on her dress so they were lined up right, then helped smooth out any wrinkles. In a matter of five minutes, Katniss was ready to go out and meet Peeta and the other prep team members.

The four of us left Katniss's room and saw Peeta walking out from his room. He was wearing his tuxedo that would have been worn for the wedding.

I envisioned what their wedding would be like should they have actually GOTTEN married like NORMAL people in District 12, without any distractions or interventions.

Katniss and Peeta took each other's hand as we headed to the elevator in silence. We followed close behind.

Meeting up with the other tributes was interesting. They all looked very offended that Katniss was forced to wear the wedding dress, and Peeta his tux. I knew they knew it wasn't Cinna's choice.

Lulu gaped at Katniss and Peeta and hurried up to us.

"Why?" she sputtered.

"President Snow, that's why," Jade sneered.

Lulu's eyes lit up for a moment, and not in the good way. The fiery way. I'd seen that look in Katniss's eyes many times before. Uh oh.

Everyone was silent as they headed through the line of interviews. Jade's and mine went well, and I tried my hardest not to lash out, but it kind of happened a little bit once.

I didn't feel so bad once I noticed something interesting.

Most people were taking subtle but effective stabs at the Capitol. I could see Caesar getting flustered with how to respond, but as always, he handled it well. I smirked in a very Jade-like way.

I smiled when Lulu appeared on screen. That fire was in her eyes again, and she looked very confident.

"OH! My dear Lulu. You see, I still have this bracelet you gave me when you were just twelve," Caesar said, pulling up his sleeve to reveal a bracelet woven from grass.

My smile grew wider as they played the clip. Shy little Lulu sat there, trying to look everywhere but at Caesar.

"_That's a beautiful bracelet, Lulu," said Caesar, pointing at the grass bracelet on her wrist. Lulu smiled._

"_You can have it. I was going to have it as my token, but I think it'd be nice if someone else wore it," Lulu said, taking off the bracelet and handing it to Caesar. _

_Caesar took it carefully as though it were fragile, easily broken. _

"_Thank you so much, Ms. Brown. You're a kind girl," he said tearfully as he slipped the bracelet on._

Lulu's smile appeared on her face as she saw the bracelet.

"Oh that's so kind of you!" Lulu said. She looked Caesar straight in the eye.

Oh she's planning something all right.

Caesar smiled.

"So, what are you thinking about all this?" asked Caesar. He sounded genuinely interested in Lulu's thoughts and feelings. They had sort of a bond, I guess.

"Well…it's rather unfortunate. Peeta and Katniss had such a beautiful future ahead of them. All the other tributes were living such wonderful lives. I'm only fourteen, but oh well, nothing I can do about it. Just trying to be optimistic," Lulu said with a bittersweet smile.

I turned to Jade. "Oh she didn't."

Jade laughed. "Oh she did. Good for her."

Lulu's interview went smoothly after that, and the applause was sort of uneven, as though people didn't know if they were "allowed" to clap for her because of what she'd said so…bluntly.

Anyway, the next few interviews went smoothly with maybe one or two subtle jabs at the Capitol. I looked up at the platform where the Gamemakers were at, watching over the interviews. They did not look happy. We were all so screwed.

**Katniss POV**

I sighed as I heard my name called. The introductions were same as usual, and the first few questions were just "how do you feel" and "what do you think of this" and stuff.

"Now, Katniss. I must ask, on behalf of our wonderful audience," Caesar began, pausing for the audience's applause, "what do you think of your absolutely beautiful wedding dress?"

I smiled. This was the time. I saw Cinna doing his famous "twirl for me" signal.

"I'd rather just show you," I said with a pleasant smile. I stood up and twirled around, arms to the sky.

I was at first horrified that the dress caught fire. It burned up all the way to the straps, and I didn't feel a thing.

When it stopped burning, I noticed I was wearing a black dress that was basically an inverted version of the one I had just had on.

It made me look like a mockingjay. Ooooh, President Snow was NOT going to be happy…

Caesar tried to play it off as a technical difficulty.

"Oh my! Minor malfunction, huh?" asked Caesar, and the audience laughed nervously. I would play along, but this is just getting to the fun!

"Nope, no malfunction. Aren't I a beautiful mockingjay?" I asked Caesar. There, I had done it for sure. And I wasn't scared in the least.

Caesar laughed uncertainly.

"I see. Well, Cinna, you did wonderful!" he said, and the spotlight was on Cinna.

Ok now I was scared. He could be in HORRIBLE danger for this dress. My knees dared to give out but I stopped them.

Finally, after another minute or two, the interview ended, and I went back out with Cat and Jade. Peeta kissed me lightly on the cheek and whispered "it'll be ok" before he headed up onto the stage.

During the interview, Peeta did two things to completely wipe out everything we had done previously. He said that we had already had a private wedding ceremony.

"Well that's wonderful! I'm sure that this short time is better than none at all," Caesar said happily.

"Actually, it's not…" Peeta said. uh oh. What is he going to do?

"And why ever not?" asked Caesar, almost looking horrified that Peeta could say that.

"It would've been," Peeta began, "if it weren't for the baby."

And he just dropped the bomb.

Everyone in the audience made distressed noises, even Caesar. Everyone looked mollified at what had just been revealed.

So apparently, I was pregnant.

The cameras focused on me, and I had to play along. My eyes were tearing, and I didn't know why, but it worked well, as cries of distress began to ring out in the building.

I could see tears streaming down faces all over the place. And for once, I thought the Capitol people DID have hearts.

The ceremony was starting to get out of hand, so everything was starting to be cut off as the audience yelled out nasty things towards President Snow and the Gamemakers.

"Link arms!" I whispered to Chaff, who stood next to me.

In less than a minute, all twenty three of the tributes in the audience had linked arms and were staring right at the cameras.

This was rare. The tributes have never shown themselves as a team until now. This act alone could start a rebellion, set aside all the other things that have happened in these interviews. Not only were the four of us bound to be in trouble, now I wondered if they were going to let anyone win.

After all, the point was to turn us all AGAINST each other, not to let us become a team. I wondered why they even let alliances form in the arenas anyhow.

We all got rushed back to our floors. I saw Lulu panicking as chaos let loose, and people were running everywhere.

**Peeta POV**

I found Katniss through the crowd, Jade and Cat hanging on to me for dear life. She was staring at Lulu, and her eyes were wide.

"Lulu's panicking, I'm going to go get her!" Katniss said. She ran over to Lulu and grabbed her hand. Lulu's eyes were wide as plates, and I could see her chest heaving. Her face had lost all color.

"Come on, let's get upstairs!" said Haymitch as he ran up behind us and pulled us through the crowd.

Suddenly someone grabbed Cat's arm. It was her mentor.

"Cat, come on!" he urged.

"NO!" she screamed, clenching my arm so tight that I started to bleed.

"Cat, please! You have to come to your floor!" said her mentor, and her district escort came up to find her too. He was rough and tried to drag her away.

"Leave her alone!" Jade hissed, and the mentor/escort surrendered.

We reached an empty elevator and closed it before anyone else could get on.

"Lulu? Lulu listen. We're away from the chaos now, it's alright," Katniss said. Cat let go of my arm and went over to hug Lulu.

By the time we reached the top floor, Lulu had calmed down. Some color had returned to her cheeks, thankfully, and her breathing was back to normal. She was shaking though.

I slunk down into a chair in the living room, followed by everyone else. I didn't know my actions could cause so much problems.

"Did I screw up?" I asked Katniss as she sat down.

She shook her head. "No, it's fine."

Haymitch looked exhausted as he sat down next to me.

"You might have caused some change, but it doesn't matter. The Games begin tomorrow," he said. His eyes were red and bloodshot. I got up and went to the kitchen area, where a bottle of whiskey was sitting on the counter. I considered putting it in a glass, but just took the whole bottle and gave it to Haymitch.

"Thanks," he said, taking a huge drink of it.

We were silent for a while as we thought about what to do.

"Look, it's late. We should probably go to sleep," suggested Jade. "We need rest."

I nodded.

"I'll go down to my floor. See you guys tomorrow," said Lulu weakly. Cat tried to protest, but Lulu waved her off. She headed to the elevator and disappeared.

I looked over at Jade. "I assume-"

"I'm not leaving. You're stuck with us tonight," she said with a little laugh. I smiled.

We all turned to Haymitch.

"Goodnight, guys. And just remember tomorrow…keep in mind who the enemy is," he said with a sigh. He headed to his little room off in the corner to get some rest.

That thought haunted me as we bid each other goodnight and went to sleep.

As Katniss nuzzled closer than ever to me, she admitted for the first time in a long time that she was horrified of what was going to happen tomorrow.

**Katniss POV**

The night passed much quicker than I had anticipated. We were woken up at about seven in the morning to be prepped for the Games. I wondered what the outfits would be this year.

Cinna prepared me in silence, and then we went out into the main area of the floor, where Jade and the others were waiting for me.

The four of us moved in for a tight group hug. "I love you guys. Just remember that."

"Katniss, you'll see us in about a half an hour," said Jade.

"You don't know that," Cat said in a squeaky voice. And suddenly it dawned on me that she was right. What if the Capitol decided to kill us before we even got into the arena?

No. They wouldn't. Not with my "baby".

We walked into the elevator and turned to face the penthouse floor in front of us.

I saw that Haymitch was looking at us with glassy eyes.

"I'll let you guys go on down," he said in a strained voice. "Goodbye."

I sniffled and waved as the elevator door closed.

We had to split up and get on a vehicle to go to our preliminary rooms so that we could be prepped one last time.

"Well…see you," I said quietly to my friends as we were urged to hurry.

Peeta wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. We shared a last glance before I was ushered off to my room by Cinna.

The costumes this year are…weird. We were put into blue jumpsuits made of this sheer material that couldn't be more than half an inch thick. There were zippers all down the front. There was a six inch wide purple plastic belt around it too, and it was full of this thick purple liquid. Our shoes were nylon, and they had rubber shoes.

I looked at Cinna questioningly.

He shrugged.

"Thanks for the interview outfit. It was amazing, Cinna," I told him as he fastened my mockingjay pin on me.

He smiled and nodded.

"My money's still on you," he told me. He hugged me tightly and I headed into the tube.

It closed around me, and my heart started to beat harder. My breathing became shallow and uneven.

Suddenly, two armed men came in and pinned Cinna to the ground. I watched in horror as they beat him, over and over to a bloody pulp. I was shaking from head to toe, and I felt like I was going to throw up.

They dragged him out, and an eerie trail of blood was all that was left of my stylist who had always been so important to me throughout this whole thing, from start to finish.

Sickened and shaken to my core, I turned around as the tube began to head up into the arena. This was it. This was the beginning of the end of my life.

At first I was blinded by bright white light, but my surroundings soon came into view. It was nothing like I expected.

I was standing on a tiny circle of land, and as far as I could see, I was surrounded by water.

One clear thought could be formed in my mind. _This is no place for a girl on fire._

**A/N: AND SCENE! EPIC CLIFFHANGER! :D**

**So I know this probably was not NEARLY as good as it should have been. But I was ready to get the action going, so I had to hurry up and get it written. Hope you still enjoyed it! Thanks as always for the reviews, they're appreciated! **


	23. Let The Games Begin

**A/N: Hello! Thanks again as always to everyone who reviewed. On to the real good stuff…the arena! :D I will do my absolute best to learn how to make action scenes dramatic and get your hearts beating a little faster. I love reading stories like that, when you get so caught up in it. Anyway, enjoy! :D**

**Cat POV**

The first thing I could register once I reached the arena is the blinding bright light that shone straight into my eyes. I closed my eyes for a second to try and get rid of the dizziness that it sparked. When I opened my eyes, I was in no way prepared or expecting this.

I was standing on a pedestal atop a small portion of land. If you stare straight down and don't look anywhere but right between your feet, you would think you were in a grassy, normal arena environment. But it wouldn't take you long to see the waves lapping at the edges of your boots.

I heard, for the second time in my life, that the Games were beginning. My heart started to race, but I willed myself to calm down. I knew that if I wasn't calm enough by the time the sixty seconds were over, I wouldn't make it to Katniss and the others in time.

I scanned my surroundings. My first thought was to find the others. I found Finnick and Peeta, but Katniss and Jade were nowhere to be seen. Surely they were just obscured from my view by the Cornucopia.

The second thing I did was take in the actual arena and its set up.

We were all surrounded by water. There were 24 separate spokes that led to the Cornucopia, which was on land. The spokes were so thin, though; I doubted anyone could walk on it. I guess I was going to have to swim to shore.

I was no stranger to swimming. There was this old little pond I found one time when I was little, and I use to swim in it all the time. My only concern was, were these waters even safe? What could be in there? Sharks, jellyfish? Some other type of Capitol mutt?

Suddenly my mind wrapped itself around the numbers being called out in Claudius Templesmith's booming voice.

"Ten," he said. TEN? I was so not ready for this.

**No POV**

"Nine." _Here goes nothing, _thought Katniss, getting in position to jump into the water.

"Eight." _I'm not ready for this. I thought I was, but I really am not. Gosh I hope Katniss is okay, I can't see her…_ Peeta thought, looking around once more for his beloved Katniss.

"Seven." _Six more seconds and then I might as well be dead, _Jade thought, in an eerily calm manner. She seemed to have accepted that she was not leaving this arena.

"Six." _I love you Sammy…I'm so sorry you have to be watching this. Great, I'm going crazy, talking like Sammy is here…_ Cat thought. She tried to hold back the tears that threatened to form at the thought of her Sam.

"Five." _Maybe Finnick's not that bad…I'll try and signal him. _Peeta thought to himself. He saw Finnick out of the corner of his eye. He looked over at him, and Finnick glanced at him. Peeta's eyes said what he couldn't, and Finnick nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Four." _Four. That's how old I was when I lost Mom. _Jade thought. _I hope she's proud of me now. She always was._

"Three." _It's the final countdown…_ Cat thought as a tune popped into her head. She clenched her jaw tightly and prepared to swim to shore. She caught Katniss's eye, and Katniss nodded at her.

"Two." You know how they talk about how your life flashes before your eyes? Well that's basically what happened to Jade. Every memory she had ever had flashed before her. Losing her mom, meeting Clove, the first Games…everything.

"One." _God give me strength _was Peeta's last thought before the gong rang out.

**Katniss POV**

The gong rang out and I jumped into the water and got to shore as quick as I could. I actually collided head on with Cat. Instinctively I hugged her tightly.

"Katniss, we gotta go!" said Jade, dragging Cat and I over to where Peeta and Finnick stood. Peeta held a variety of weapons, and he handed me a bow and arrows without a second thought. Since many of the other tributes weren't so fast to get to the Cornucopia, Jade ran in and got more weapons for us. The more the better, I guess.

"Any supplies in there?" I asked her. She shook her head.

"Just weapons," she said. She handed me a good looking knife, which I stuck in between my suit and the belt. It worked well, as the space was hardly anything between the two. In the 5 seconds that we took to divide weapons, I ended up with just my bow and knife. Finnick got a trident, a net, and a knife. Cat equipped herself with a knife and a sword. Peeta took a couple knives and sword as well. Jade took nothing more than a very heavy duty sword.

A couple of tributes had reached the shore, so we headed farther back so they didn't really see us.

"Mags!" Finnick exclaimed. He ran off to get his district partner.

He hauled her over on his shoulder, and Mags was muttering something.

"Bob," she said.

"The belts. They're flotation devices. I can't swim, but I couldn't go under because of the belt, and that's how I made it here so easily," Peeta said, pointing to the belt around his waist.

I nodded. I searched around for Beetee. I saw him struggling up to shore.

"GO! GO!" he yelled to me. I waved to him to show him I understood.

"Got everyone?" asked Jade, her sword poised and ready to strike if she needed to.

"LULU!" Cat screeched. My heart stopped for a second.

I saw her, running towards us with a tiny knife in her hand. She looked scared out of her mind, and she dodged the knives and arrows that were beginning to fly from the tributes who had already made it to shore. The others were just getting there.

The second Lulu got in arm's length of me, I scooped her up with the arm that wasn't holding my bow.

"You're safe, I gotcha," I told Lulu. "Let's go!"

Finnick nodded, leading the way. I looked back at Beetee once more sympathetically.

As we trekked forward deeper into the land part of the arena, I noticed that it was sort of a tropical forest rather than the woods that I was used to back at home. I set Lulu down gently and handed her my good knife so she could defend herself if she had to.

I stopped for a moment to turn back to the arena. I was sickened to see that so many people were already dead. So much for unity.

Then again, what can we do?

**Jade POV**

We trekked on, farther and farther, until we had to rest because we were getting a little bit sore in our legs.

We slumped against nearby trees, but I had a feeling of urgency in me. Like if we didn't keep moving, we'd get hurt, and soon. I didn't know about anyone else, but I wanted to stay alive for as long as possible.

I noticed that Lulu was all balled up against her tree. She had her knees drawn into her chest and her arms around them, and her head was resting on her knees. She didn't look scared, surprisingly enough. Just…bored, unaffected.

"I really don't think we should stay here long. We have no food OR water. Water is our most important thing right now, agreed?" said Peeta, voicing the thoughts that were just starting to form in my mind.

Everyone nodded. "Plus…something just doesn't feel right. We just need to keep going," Cat added.

We rested for maybe a minute more and forced ourselves onward, ignoring the protests that our muscles were making. I kept my hand on my bow so that I could draw it quickly if I needed to.

I noticed that we seemed to be getting close to what could be called the edge of the arena. Surely there was a force field around it. Peeta didn't seem to think of that though, and went to go check it out.

Wait a second. Peeta!

"Peeta, no!" Katniss screeched as Peeta walked right into it. He was thrown backwards about ten feet and landed hard on the ground. He wasn't moving, and I kept staring intensely at his chest, waiting for it to rise. But it didn't.

No. No no no no no no no!

Finnick rushed over to Peeta, and Katniss completely lost it. She turned into some kind of animal, screaming his name over and over and practically growling at Finnick to get off of him. Lulu and Cat cowered behind me, and I could see that Lulu was crying, and Cat was trying to comfort her.

Before I can react in time, Katniss lunged at Finnick, but Finnick just pushed her hard in the chest, and she flew back into a tree. She groaned as she hit it, and I was about to go after Finnick too, but he started giving Peeta CPR. I don't know why I recognized it, but I did. I rushed over to Katniss.

I had to pin her against the tree because as soon as her dizziness from the impact was gone, she tried going after Finnick again.

"Katniss," I said to her in a stern but calm voice. "Katniss, calm down."

"NO! PEETA PLEASE!" she screamed, struggling hard against me. That training really paid off, because I was just strong enough to hold her back, even though I was shaking because Peeta wasn't breathing.

We couldn't lose him. Not in the first hour of the Games. Not like this. We just couldn't!

Finnick moved away from Peeta, who was still not responding. Katniss slacked against my iron grip and just stared numbly at him with a pained expression. I really felt for her, I couldn't imagine what this was doing to her.

"He's gone…" she whispered.

Suddenly, a tiny cough sounded from behind me, and I spun around, completely letting go of Katniss. Peeta's eye were opening, and he was looking around and trying to shake off whatever he was feeling right then.

"I found the force field," he said weakly.

This time, Katniss didn't get animalistic. She burst into tears and hugged Peeta as tight as she possibly could. He stood up and held her close to him.

I looked over to Finnick. "Pregnancy hormones," he said, shaking his head.

"Shh, it's ok. I'm right here. I'm alive," Peeta said, trying to calm the crying girl. Cat and Lulu joined me and Finnick and waited for Katniss to calm down.

But she just kept crying. And every time she tried to say that she was okay, another loud sob was forced from her throat. She obviously wasn't pregnant, so I wondered why she was crying this hard.

Then I put into perspective that she had just watched her fiancée die and then be revived, just barely. I thought of what I would have done if that had happened to Gale, and suddenly it all made sense.

It literally took about ten minutes or so, but she did calm down and was able to breathe easier. Tears were still streaming involuntarily, but she at least was able to talk, even if her voice was shaky.

**Lulu POV**

Shaken up from the event we had just encountered, we headed on. I noticed something though. Finnick was wearing a gold bracelet, and Peeta had a gold mockingjay pendent on. I supposed this had something to do with the alliance, and that maybe it was meant to show something more than that. But I couldn't be sure.

Anyhow, Katniss "explained" how she could see the force field. We knew (well minus Finnick) how she really did, because Beetee had shown it to her on the way to lunch one day, and I overheard. She said that she could hear it with the ear the Capitol had to reconstruct after an accident in the arena last year left her deaf in that ear. I bet that the doctor who fixed her ear was under some serious pressure now.

After what seemed like another silent hour, Katniss decided to climb a tree and see where the heck we were, or at least see if she could see any water.

"Well," she called down with a sigh, "l can't see any water unfortunately. But I did notice something. The arena is like a circle."

I sighed. Well that's really helpful.

I tried to push my fear aside, because I knew that dehydration is a slow and painful way to die, and I almost dehydrated when I was in the Games last time. That was not a fun time. I shuddered at the memory.

We continued on and on, and the sun started to set. Surprisingly enough, no one but Mags and I were tired. I expected Cat to be exhausted, but she was either actually okay, or really good at hiding it.

"I don't think Mags and I can go on anymore," I said, panting. Mags nodded.

I glanced at Finnick expectantly, since he was sort of being the leader of the group, along with Katniss and/or Jade.

"Alright, we can set up camp here. I think we're good here," he said. We set all our weapons down in one huge pile, and I literally fell back onto the ground. I closed my eyes.

"I'm going hunting with Jade, be back soon guys with something to eat," Katniss announced.

"Kay kay," Cat said, her voice a little hoarse from there not being anything to drink. I felt someone sit down next to me, and I assumed it was her.

Katniss and Jade headed off (I heard their footsteps receding as they went) and not long after they left, the cannons started going off. Eight cannons sounded before it finally ceased, telling us that eight out of the 24 tributes were dead. One third of us were gone.

I knew that obviously there was me, Cat, Jade, Peeta, Katniss, Finnick, and Mags as one alliance, totaling up to 7 people. So that left a total of nine other tributes that were still alive. I wondered who they were.

"How're ya doing?" Cat asked softly, and I opened my eyes for a moment to look up at her.

"Weirdly calm. I'm tired, and I'm thirsty, and I'm hungry…but I don't feel as scared as I thought I would," I told her. She nodded and yawned.

"Mind if I lay down next to you?" she asked me, sleepiness evident in her voice.

"What am I gonna tell you, no?" I teased with a light smile. She returned the smile and laid down next to me, her arms forming somewhat of a pillow. Now that I could truly LOOK at her, I saw the dark circles under her eyes and the lines of fatigue forming in her face.

We just lay there in silence for a while, until I spoke up.

"What's it like to fall in love?" I asked her quietly. This had been a question that had been nagging at me since Cat told me more about Sam, her boyfriend back in District 12.

Cat made a choking sound, and I assumed that I had caught her off-guard.

"Sorry. I just…I've never met anyone that…" I said, trailing off. She just shushed me and nodded.

"Well…it's amazing," she said giddily with a little smile. "Sam…he means so much to me. He makes my stomach do all these little flips and flops when I'm with him, and it's impossible to be sad when he's there."

I smiled. Falling in love sure seemed nice.

"When you're in love with someone, you see past their flaws and only see the good in them. Sam sees past me being a child," Cat said, and she giggled (childishly, if I might add). "I don't know what I see past in Sam because like I said, you only see good in the one you love."

I smiled again, mesmerized by the idea of falling in love with someone.

"We bring…some sort of animal, but it's meat!" called out Jade's voice. I laughed, and Cat and I turned to Jade and Katniss, who were bringing in the meat.

"We can't really start a fire, you know…" Finnick pointed out.

Katniss nodded as she began skinning the animal and stuff. Once she was done, Peeta held out his hand.

She looked up at him, confused.

"Let me see the meat. I know how we can cook it," he said. Katniss shrugged and handed it to him.

Peeta threw it over the edge of the arena.

"PEETA!" cried Cat. But moments later, the meat bounced back at him, looking thoroughly cooked.

Oh. That's actually a really good idea.

"Smart thinking," Katniss said as Peeta handed the meat back to her.

**Peeta POV**

The seven of us nibbled at the meat and some nuts that Mags found in silence as night fell. The fake, Capitol-generated sky was dotted with bright stars that reminded me of home. I remembered the night that Katniss and I stayed up all night watching the stars. That was a good night…

The faces of those who died were projected onto the starry night sky, and it showed that the most dangerous tributes and ourselves were still alive. Wonderful.

The only good news we got from the death list was that Beetee was still alive somewhere. Good, I had been worried when he told us to just keep going without him.

"So what do you think the circular arena shape means? Anything?" asked Finnick randomly as he swallowed the last bit of his meat. It was hard to eat with a dry mouth, but we all pulled it off.

"I don't know…maybe there's some sort of pattern. Like…maybe they'll have this wall of fire that moves slowly around the arena and we just have to figure out where it is going to be and when?" suggested Jade. She smoothed her black hair back, but little strands of it still strayed around her face.

I nodded. "Could be."

We were pretty silent for a while as everyone finished up.

I heard a familiar noise, much like a music box would make, coming from above us and then drifting down. I exchanged an excited glance with the others as I climbed up a tree to retrieve the parachute that we had just been sent.

I brought it back down before opening it. _Please be water. Come on Haymitch, you owe it to us. We've been doing good…_

I groaned when Jade snatched it from my hands, opened it, and found that it was just a hollow tube. Nothing more.

"Seriously Haymitch? Or whoever the chiz sent this to us…" she muttered, looking the tube over, seeing what it could be used for.

For the next ten minutes, we tossed it around, back and forth, searching for ways that it could be used.

"It's not long enough to be any type of weapon," Finnick concluded, sticking his finger in it to see if there were any spikes or anything. He said that inside was smooth as silk.

I laid down on the dry dirty ground and closed my eyes. I didn't want to sleep quite yet, but I just didn't want to DO anything either, so this was as good as anything.

"You okay Peeta?" Cat asked, her voice coming out cracked and raspy from the lack of water.

"You don't look so good. What's wrong, babe?" Katniss asked, feeling my forehead and stuff to make sure I didn't have a fever.

"I'm fine. I'm not tired or anything…I just don't feel like doing anything. So I'm laying down," I said with a smile to reassure everyone that I wasn't like dying or anything.

"And besides, we should be asking you if you're okay, Katniss. I mean you are pregnant…you feel sick or anything?" Jade asked, and my eyes cracked open for a moment. She exchanged a tiny glance with me and responded accordingly.

"Yeah I do but don't worry about it, I'll be fine," she said. She laid down next to me and put her head on my chest.

"It's good to hear your heartbeat. I thought you were gone earlier," she whispered to me.

I kissed her burning forehead. Man, was she really sick? I mean she's obviously not actually pregnant, and there's no way she could be…it's probably just from the dehydration.

I leaned down to her ear and whispered to her.

"Katniss are you ok? Your forehead is on fire," I told her, and the worry was evident in her voice.

She sighed. "I'm getting really dehydrated is all. I haven't drank anything all day obviously and I barely drank anything yesterday because I was so nervous."

I sighed and nodded. We needed water, fast.

"What if the tube is some magical portal and we have to like, do something, and water will come out of it?" Cat said, holding her arms out, eyes widened.

Finnick shot upright from where he was slouching against a tree, stabbing it with a knife.

"That's it! That's a spile, you can get water from trees with it!" he exclaimed, almost giddy with joy.

Suddenly all of our energy was regained. I almost yelled "THANKS Haymitch!" but that would draw attention obviously, so I contained myself.

Surprisingly enough, it was little Lulu who grabbed a knife and stabbed quickly at the tree until a hole appeared. Water started to drip already, and Cat shoved the spile in the hole. The water became a stream, and we all stood under it, drinking what we could hold, not caring that we were getting a little wet.

I sighed contentedly when we had all had our fill. The water really wasn't the tastiest, and probably not the cleanest, but it was water and it wasn't salt water, enough said.

Sleepiness started to set in. Lulu laid down and had only so much as closed her eyes for a moment before she was out cold.

The night was getting chilly, and that woke her up moments later.

"I'm freezing," she said. "Is there like, leaves or something I can cover up with?"

We shook our heads. The leaves were going to be no use.

She sighed, and I could hear her teeth chatter. "I wish we had a sleeping bag or something."

We waited for a second, hoping some would come in. But no, of course not.

Just as I was about to give up hope, we were blessed from the Heavens above with sleeping bags for everyone. Well, we were blessed by Effie or whoever letting us all receive them. And these were not just little flimsy things. No, these were relatively thick and comfortable.

Lulu settled down into hers and was asleep again quickly. Cat was falling asleep, so I ordered her to go to sleep. She didn't protest. She laid down parallel to Lulu and went to bed.

I was tired as I'll get out but I didn't say it out loud. All I wanted to do was curl up with Katniss and sleep the rest of the time in the arena away.

Mags had burrowed down into her sleeping bag as well, and she was so tiny she fit all the way in. She gouged a little hole in it so that she could breathe easier, but other than that, you could barely tell she was there.

So that left me, Finnick, Katniss, and Jade awake.

Oddly enough, Finnick looked tired too. Then again, he had needed to practically drag Mags everywhere because Mags could hardly focus on anything.

"Jeez, Finn, you look like you're about to pass out," I said, involuntarily calling him Finn. It was a weird habit of mine. I call people by nicknames that I give them.

"Finn? No one has called me that in years," Finnick said with a laugh, "but you guys can."

We all smiled lightly at him. "Okay then, _Finn, _you should sleep. You're like forcing your eyes open," Jade told him.

Finnick sighed. "Alright, fine. I'll sleep," he said. He burrowed down into his sleeping bag, pulling it all the way up to his chin.

The three of us still awake got into our sleeping bags, but still say upright against trees.

"Peeta, I think you know what I'm going to tell you, so just go ahead and do it," Katniss told me with the tiniest of smirks. She knew me too well.

She was going to tell me to go to sleep because I had literally died today and needed sleep because I too could barely keep my eyes open.

"Yes my mistress," I teased. I kissed her quickly before lying down, making sure I was right next to her.

She ran her fingers through my tousled blonde hair, and it was relaxing, so I didn't protest.

The last thing I heard was Katniss talking to Jade about their little hunting trip earlier today.

**Katniss POV**

Not long after we got everyone to bed (I assumed it was pretty late anyway) I heard a bell chiming. Jade and I counted, and it totaled up to twelve times.

That had to be significant somehow. I mean, they never do that. It meant something. But what?

"I miss Andre and everyone," Jade said out of nowhere, about ten minutes after the bells rang out.

I turned to her. "I miss them too…"

There was a neither comfortable nor awkward silence between us for a moment.

Suddenly, I was aware that it was raining. The thick, tropical leaves began to drip on us. Frankly, we didn't have the energy or the motivation to care about it.

I took a stick and drew little pictures on the now-damp ground. I drew a mockingjay. Probably a dumb thing to do, but what else was I supposed to draw?

Peeta was the artistic one. He could probably draw a person in this mud and it would look realistic.

I sighed. Jade started humming some tune, and it was vaguely familiar.

I glanced up at her. She was staring off into space with glassy, vacant eyes. But they were moist, and her nose was a little red. I could see that much in the moonlight. Her hair was messed up, sticking out all over the place. I'm sure mine looked no better. She was out of her sleeping bag, and her knees were pulled up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her knees and laid her head on them.

A rush of words (lyrics? I think that's what Effie called them when she was talking to Cat one time) came to my mind, and they fit in with Jade's tune.

"What am I supposed to do when my better half was always you?" I whisper-sang to myself. My voice sounded better than I expected.

Jade looked up at me. "You know this song?"

I nodded. "Don't know the name though. But I know it."

Jade nodded. "I just know the tune. How's the song go?"

I sighed and began to sing.

"What am I supposed to do when my better half was always you?

What am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up and you're okay?

I'm fallin' to pieces

I'm fallin' to pieces," I sang quietly, so as not to wake anyone or draw attention.

Jade smiled a little. "Sounds good."

I smiled at her and thanked her.

It was only then that I noticed the haze that was falling over us. There was a sort of fog creeping in. something told me it wasn't good.

My fears were confirmed when I felt it starting to burn. I whimpered, and Jade did too.

"Wake them up. This isn't good, we gotta move!" she said urgently.

As I continued to wake the others, my skin began to burn more, and my throat and lungs begged for mercy.

I heard a cannon fire in the distance. So that makes it 15 left, I guess.

**A/N: Weird cliffhanger lol. Hope you enjoyed!**

**I do have some news. I have an idea for a Victorious fanfic that I think people might like. I won't start it until after I at least finish this story, maybe not until after Mockingjay Victorious Style is done, but I really think you'll all like it. So stick around for it, okay? **

**Reviews are always welcomed! **

**Oh and the song is Breakeven by The Script **


	24. The Aftermath

**A/N: Hello! So I just want to say a few things. One, thank you as usual to all who reviewed! And two, to the person thinking Lulu is going to stab someone, I don't think that will happen O_o**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**Peeta POV**

I woke to Katniss yelling and shaking me. That was the first thing that registered. I opened my eyes and saw a fog closing in on us. That was the second thing that registered. It started to burn my skin, and it messed with my breathing. That was the third thing that registered.

The final thing that registered was when I had fully woke, which was that we needed to get the heck out of here.

Finnick was carrying Mags on his shoulder and was just running, yelling that we had to hurry and that he was sorry for just running. Katniss was helping me to my feet and trying to get me moving, but my joints were stiff and didn't want to bend. It hurt.

I turned to my left and saw Lulu breathing hard, and Cat scooped her up in her arms and took off, trying to keep it together as the painful fog continued to work on us.

"Jade are you okay?" called Katniss. Jade was trying to move, but the fog was hurting her bad. Her muscles were already starting to cramp and spasm. She was coughing.

"GO! I'll catch up, just go!" she wheezed. I groaned. She was not going to get out if we just left her there.

Though my muscles were protesting heavily, I walked over to her and made her climb onto my back and told her to hold on as tight as she could, even if it broke my bones.

Katniss put her arm under me and we headed through the fog. I saw Cat carrying Lulu up ahead, and I could hear one of them crying. Finnick was not too far ahead and was starting to slow.

The fog was acting as a paralyzing agent, and so far, it was doing a pretty good job. It was getting harder to carry Jade and she was trying to hold on to me. She was shaking hard with the effort.

I could feel Katniss's arms spasming, and they were moving in odd fashions. The left side of my face felt completely numb. Katniss looked up at me and her eyes widened.

"Oh we gotta hurry!" Katniss said, and she looked panicked.

Because the fog continued to worsen, as we seemed to be getting caught in the middle of it, we eventually found each other and had to stop for a moment.

"Can't stop!" Cat said between breaths.

"Finn I can't help Jade anymore," I said, the "j" sound in Jade sounding more slurred than I had anticipated.

"But I gotta carry Mags!" Finnick said as he leaned against a tree for just a moment. He was trying to control his hands, which were flailing around like crazy.

Mags did something very unexpected. She leaned up, kissed Finnick on the cheek, and then jumped out of his arms and ran right into the fog.

We exchanged glances and the cannon went off.

We couldn't grieve right now. We had to go. I couldn't even tell if Lulu was breathing, and Cat was trying to bite back her moans of pain. I could visibly see the muscles all over her twitching as she stood with Lulu.

Finnick wasted no time in slinging me over his shoulder, and I caught Katniss picking Jade up bridal style. We continued through the hazy, and thankfully, the fog was starting to recede. I was starting to see spots of red and black in my vision.

**Katniss POV**

Everything hurt. My muscles moved involuntarily, and I almost tripped while carrying Jade. I prayed that we could at least get to more open land and farther from the fog before we collapsed.

I glanced down at Jade for just a moment. Her eyes were open and she glared right back up at me. There was alarm in her eyes.

"Put…down…fine," she wheezed, her voice coming out in no more than a whisper. I knew what she was saying. She wanted me to put her down, because she was "fine".

"No," was all I said as I continued on.

We finally reached the sandy beach and we were far out of reach of the poisonous fog.

When I say we collapsed, I'm not kidding in the least. The second I saw sand and water, I practically fell over myself and Jade and onto the ground, and my hand landed in the water. I hissed as the salt burned it.

Before trying to figure out how to fix this, I took a look at the others. Peeta's face was no longer drooping, so I guess that was a good sign. Finnick had dropped him a couple feet away from himself. Finnick's eyes were closed and he was just sprawled out, twitching and moaning.

Jade was coughing and wheezing and was trying to support herself on her hands and knees. She was shaking hard, and was fighting to keep her eyes open. She turned to Cat, who was sprawled on her stomach, eyes barely open, muscles spasming like no other. Her breathing was shallow. Lulu lay next to her, and it was her condition that scared me the most.

She was laying completely still, eyes open just a sliver. I could see her chest rising and falling just a little, but barely. She was alive.

I moved slightly and had to bite back a scream as my arm went farther into the water. I turned and faced the water and saw a milk liquid coming from my hand. When I pulled it out, it didn't hurt that much anymore.

So the salt in the water drew out the poison. Suddenly I appreciated the saying "salt in my cuts" so much more. It hurts like crazy, but it gets the poison out.

I felt horrible for putting myself first, but I had to be well enough to help people, didn't I?

I didn't even think twice as I slowly took of my jumpsuit until I was in my undergarments, which were oddly unharmed, compared to the jumpsuits which have holes in every place imaginable. Putting them back on would be useless, but I supposed that we would have to.

I inched myself in, bit by bit. Once the pain was just getting to be too much, I threw my whole body in. that was a bad idea, because I screamed as the pain became blinding to the point where I almost blacked out. Screaming was the dumbest thing I could have done, because it drew people towards us. I prayed that my knife had still been stuck between the belt and my jumpsuit.

Once I thought most of the poison was gone from my body, I stuck my head under the water and cleaned my sinuses, my throat, and even my eyes. When I came back up, the burning was none like I had ever experienced before, but it was better than not being able to move.

I saw that Peeta had figured out the same idea and came up at almost the same time as I did. I turned to him.

"You alright?" I rasped. He nodded.

Peeta helped me get the others into the water. Jade was able to take care of herself. She was hesitant at first but crawled into the water. She was on the verge of tears as she got the deathly poison out of her skin. Peeta took off Finnick's jumpsuit carefully so as not to cause more pain to him and dragged him in bit by bit, trying his best to ignore Finnick's cries of pain.

I looked at Cat. "Lulu first," she managed to get out. "I'm okay."

I hesitated, but did as she asked. I turned to Lulu, who was trying her hardest to move, but the paralyzing agent in the fog was restricting her.

"Okay Lulu, I'm going to help you. We have to get you in the water. Its going to hurt, a lot, and I'm going to have to take off your jumpsuit, but you'll be alright," I assured Lulu as I helped her get her jumpsuit off. I carried her to the water.

"All the way in," she pleaded. Begged, even.

I sighed. "I'm sorry," I said, knowing how bad it would hurt, and then I set her down in the water.

"AGH!" she cried out, but then I could see her relaxing.

**Lulu POV**

The pain was excruciating, but it soon started to recede, and I moaned with relief when it did. I just laid there and soaked for what had to have been five minutes. I turned and saw Katniss helping Cat into the water, and Jade was just getting out. She seemed somewhat back to normal, and she was moving alright. She turned to me.

"Feel better?" she asked.

"Yeah. I have to put my head under, don't I?" I asked, even though I knew the answer. She sighed and nodded.

"Don't breathe in. But get some water in your nose and try to gargle with it. Open your eyes too. It's gonna hurt like a son of a gun, but it works," she said.

I did as she asked, and she was serious when she said it hurt really bad. I came up sputtering and coughing because I had tried to breathe the stuff in a little, to get it into my throat. Bad idea. VERY bad idea.

"I'm going to go get some water," Peeta said, wringing out his wet underclothes. I saw Katniss leave me and go pin her mockingjay onto her undershirt. The jumpsuits we wore were no more than rags now, so it made no sense to try and put them back on.

I glanced up at Cat as the rest of the poison rid itself from my body. Milky white liquid was pouring from me, and it was definitely something I had never seen before. I was fascinated by it, but not necessarily in the good way.

Cat caught my eye. She hadn't been in the water yet, so without thinking, I immediately got up and started helping her. I took a knife and cut her jumpsuit away, as it was starting to stick into her. She seemed to be getting better with the time that she had been sitting there, but could barely move. Her muscles weren't spasming at all, so it was easy to get her in the water.

"All the way in or bit by bit?" I asked her. She put her hand in, and waited for a few minutes. She never even flinched.

"All the way in," she managed to get out through gritted teeth, as her jaw was somewhat locked.

Anything that she had control of tensed up, and I heard her whimper, but then once the initial pain subsided, she was much more relaxed.

I glanced up and was suddenly aware of the fact that there were a bunch of monkeys surrounding us, barricading us into our current locations from above, in the tree limbs. And they didn't look happy.

Peeta was by the trees, and seemed to notice this. The monkeys were very close to him. My heart pounded in my chest as I watch his slow retreat.

I thought he had made it, and that the monkeys weren't going to go after him, but I was wrong. I must have jinxed him. Because one of the monkeys screeched and bared long fangs. Peeta's eyes widened to about the size of dinner plates, and the monkey came after him.

That must have triggered something, because suddenly all of the monkeys started coming after us.

We sprang into action, grabbing the knives and swords and bows that were in the belts of our jumpsuits. Jade had her sword, Peeta and Katniss had managed to snag their bows, Finnick had the last of his three tridents, and the rest of us had good quality knives.

I didn't want to kill anything. I hated hunting, though I was unfortunately forced to do it at home when I had no other food options. It didn't seem to occur to me that the monkeys coming after us were Capitol mutts. Nonetheless, when a monkey tried to come after me, I had to start fighting back.

**Finnick POV**

My trident struck the monkeys as they jumped down on us. I made sure each stab was a deadly one, and I flung the monkeys to the side like they were fish.

I heard a screech, and I turned to see a monkey clawing cat, leaving deep gashes that seeped blood down her leg.

I ran over to her and stabbed the monkey and flung it away from her.

"Are you ok?" I asked her. Stupid question Finn, very stupid question.

"I'm – LOOK BEHIND YOU!" she screamed, and I turned around and stabbed the monkey that was about ready to pounce on me.

I couldn't hear her reply because she pushed me away to help fend off the monkeys.

I turned to Katniss and saw that she had just shot her last arrow.

"Peeta! Your arrows!" I called to Peeta, pointing to Katniss. I nodded. He was hacking away with his knife, so it was difficult for him to get his arrows off of his back.

He was suddenly very vulnerable, with one arm occupied and the other doing its best to defend him. I knew that if someone didn't help, he would be attacked, and the monkeys were already clawing him.

Katniss suddenly flung herself upon Peeta to save him, and I gasped.

"Katniss!" Jade yelled, pausing when she saw what Katniss had done. She ran to help the two of them, but she was too late.

A monkey got up onto its hind legs and started to slam downwards to that it could sink its teeth into Katniss's exposed back.

Just before the teeth met Katniss's skin, one of the morphling addicts from district 6 threw up her arms, her already bulging eyes widening as a horrible sound escaped her lips. The monkey's fangs found her chest and sunk in deeply. This was fatal, I knew it.

Peeta began stabbing the monkey maniacally, and I could practically see his rage radiating off of him.

"Come on! Come get me!" he yelled at the monkeys. But suddenly they retreated, as if some sort of warning was sent to them that enough was enough. A Gamemaker had surely called them off of us.

We all ran over to them.

**Katniss POV**

Peeta leaned down next to the morphling addict, whose breathing was shallow. I heard blood gurgling in every breath she took. Her eyes weren't so wide anymore, and she was starting to lose some of the yellowish color that her skin had taken on from the morphling.

We all watched on quietly, weapons poised in case anyone should come by.

Cat walks over and holds the dying woman's hand as she wheezes, trying to say something it seems.

"Shh," Peeta soothed. The woman calmed down.

Peeta began to talk about his painting at home. All the colors he can make. The things he's painted. His favorite color. Anything and everything.

The morphling addict's eyes stared into him, and she was hanging onto every word that slipped from his lips.

"I like music," Cat began, and I could tell she was trying to sort of replicate Peeta's actions, only on a different topic. The morphling turned to her.

"Music is amazing. I can sing any tune I want, and there's so many different notes to choose from," Cat said with a small smile. The morphling addict smiled a little at her.

"I can play music too, on an instrument called the piano. It has lots of keys, and each one makes a different sound," she continued. "Sometimes, when you press the right ones together, you can get a beautiful harmony."

The woman's eyes were slowly closing, and her breathing slowing.

"I'm going to sing for you," said Cat.

"Just close your eyes

The sun is going down

You'll be alright

No one can hurt you now

Come morning light

You and I'll be safe

And sound," Cat sang quietly, ending her song as a cannon signaling the woman's death went off.

I sighed, and we moved sullenly away from the body. We walked out onto the beach, and the warm sand felt good on my feet.

Finnick, who had left a while ago to keep guard, walked up to me with bloody arrows.

"Need these?" he asked me with the slightest of smiles, and I nodded.

"Thanks," I said.

Deciding that I could really use a washing, as my body was covered in blood, I waded out into the salty water of the ocean, and cleaned off everything that I could. I cleaned my arrows, my wounds.

When I turned back to head to the beach, I noticed that the monkeys were all gone. And so were my friends.

I calmly headed into the woods, and soon found them. I knew that nothing would have happened to them. Well I prayed that nothing had happened.

"The monkeys are gone…" I said, in an almost inquiring tone.

"Yeah. We don't know where they went," Cat said. "The vines moved and then POOF! They were gone."

I chuckled at her. Somehow her childishness made me feel better, even with the events that had happened in the past hour or two.

The sun was nowhere in sight, and it was still dark except for the light of the moon. I assumed it was probably still going to be a while before dawn arrived.

"I'm tired and itchy," Jade complained, trying desperately not to itch the intensely itchy scabs that were forming over our wounds. I had to take it as a good sign though. They were healing, they had to be.

"Don't itch," I said to Peeta and Finnick, who were practically digging their fingernails into their skin.

I heard a quiet whimper, and I turned to face the direction that it came from.

Cat was looking down at her leg, which I had just now noticed had two deep cuts in them. They were not bleeding anymore, but dried blood coated her leg. How could I have not noticed that before?

"Oh god Cat!" I said, rushing over to her. Jade followed me.

"We gotta wash it out, Cat," Jade said, voicing my thoughts.

Cat nodded and closed her eyes tight.

We guided her over to the water, and she still didn't open her eyes.

"We have to put your leg in, ok?" I told her, and she nodded, scrunching her face up in anticipation.

I balled up the front of her shirt.

"Open your mouth and bite on this. It'll help," I said to her. She did as I asked.

We slid Cat's leg into the water, and I swear I heard a sizzling sound. Cat whined and bit down on her shirt like I told her to while Jade and I gently scrubbed the blood away.

After about five minutes, we got out of the water and onto the dry beach. I looked at Cat's leg.

It was now clean, and you could see just how deep the cuts were. I looked over at Jade, who was concerned. I could see it in her eyes.

Cat opened her huge brown eyes and looked down. She gasped as she saw the gashes in her leg.

"It's bad, isn't it?" she asked, and her eyes glimmered in the light of the moon.

I sighed and ignored her question, not wanting to scare her. I picked her up gently and we headed back to camp. Jade whispered kind words to Cat.

When I returned, I saw that Peeta and Lulu were asleep on the ground. Finnick had lit a fire, since the smoke would barely be visible in the dark surroundings.

I sat down and leaned against a tree, Cat still in my arms. She was shivering hard, and I began to wonder how much damage the cuts were inflicting on her.

Jade grabbed a knife and started cutting off the bottom of her undershirt.

She wrapped the cloth around Cat's wounds and tied it up. I exchanged a thankful glance with her.

Cat had fallen asleep, and I was about to. I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.

"You guys all go to sleep. I'll keep watch," Finnick said in a thick voice. I saw tears in his eyes.

Oh yeah, Mags…

"Okay. Goodnight, Finn," Jade said in a quiet voice.

She lied down next to me. Though I was not comfortable sitting against the tree, I didn't want to wake Cat, so I stayed there.

I closed my eyes and prayed that everyone made it through the night. No attacks, no side effects from the healing of our wounds, nothing.

I drifted into dream land, the only sound I heard being Cat's scarily slow and shallow breathing.

**A/N: Ta da! Hope you liked.**

**Even though I shouldn't spoil this, I feel like I am sort of obligated to tell everyone that CAT WILL NOT DIE. I promise.**

**Read and review! Thanks :D**


	25. Another Day Comes, Another Day Goes

**A/N: Hello again! I really don't have much to say here. Oh yeah wait! Just wanted to give a shout-out to one of my most faithful reviewers, Black-Rose Marley. **

**Also I got bombarded with I think about 10 reviews in like, a half hour last night. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! **

**So yeah…I think soon here I'm going to do a chapter from like Sammy, Clove, Prim, and whoever else's POV from back home in District 12. Some special people will be making an appearance in this chapter too, so hope you enjoy! **

**Cat POV**

I felt the cool night air against my skin, and I shivered. I opened my eyes.

I was in Katniss's arms, and she was leaning against a tree. She didn't look comfortable at all. My leg had searing pains going through it, and I looked down to see that someone had wrapped it up with what looked like part of someone's shirt. Maybe I had moved around a lot or something, because the shirt was soaked in blood again.

I felt very lightheaded, and it was sort of hard to see straight. Every move I made took a lot of thinking about before I could do it. I noticed that it felt my heart was beating fast, and my breathing was rapid. It felt like I couldn't draw in enough air, so I had to hurry up and try again, over and over.

I tried to ignore all the things that felt wrong with me, and I took in my surroundings. Jade was lying down next to Katniss, curled up tightly in a ball. She looked freezing cold. Peeta and Lulu lay on either side of where I assumed someone had lit a fire at. Finnick leaned against a tree, and he was asleep. He had a trident in his hand, so I assumed he was probably on guard but fell asleep.

I glanced around the camp area, not knowing what to do. I didn't want to wake Katniss up so I didn't move much.

I saw a familiar face in the shadows.

"Andre?" I wheezed, my voice coming out in no more than a pained whisper.

"What's up Lil Red?" he asked me, walking into the moonlight. He looked down at me worriedly.

"You shouldn't be here. I mean I know they can't hurt you but the Gamemakers won't like it," I said shakily. I didn't want anything to happen to him, even though obviously nothing could happen.

"They can't hurt me. If they don't like it, they don't have to show it," Andre replied, sitting down next to Katniss and I. He glanced at my hurt leg and his eyes widened.

"Cat…" he said.

"How bad is it?" I asked him in a small voice. I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer.

"The truth?" came another all too familiar voice. I had a feeling he'd be here. He follows Andre around everywhere.

"Yeah…please Robbie?" I begged him, knowing he gave into me no matter what.

He sighed. "Sammy is going to kill me," Robbie said. So he knows about Sammy?

"You know about him?" I asked him as he sat down next to Andre. I could see right through the two of them, but their voices and the outlines of them were very prominent.

"'Course I do. He's perfect for you Cat, I'm glad you moved on," Robbie said. I could read him like an open book, and he really meant it. He wasn't upset at all.

He glanced down at my leg and gasped. "Blood poisoning…"

I groaned. So that's why I didn't feel so great.

I knew that blood poisoning was deadly. If I didn't get help for it, I would die. I tried to stay calm though.

"I see," I said to Robbie. My voice was shaking. Robbie sighed.

Finnick started to stir. We glanced over at him, he opened his eyes for a second. He wasn't looking at us though.

I turned to Robbie and Andre just in time to see them wave goodbye. I waved back and they disappeared into thin air.

I closed my eyes again and settled into Katniss's arms. I fell asleep again quicker than I thought I would.

**Jade POV**

I woke up to someone shaking my shoulder, and I I could feel the warmth of the sun on my legs and arms.

I opened my eyes and was blinded by the light for a moment, but then I could see Finnick's face come into focus. I raised my eyebrows.

He held up a cooked fish and raised his eyebrows right back at me. I sighed and pushed myself up from the ground.

Everyone was awake already. Apparently a parachute came in, because Peeta had the container that it always came down with and was filling it with water. Thankfully we got a couple good things from our sponsors; Katniss had some sort of salve for our fog injuries, and Lulu was munching on some bread.

"This salve stuff takes away the itch," Katniss said, rubbing the thick green stuff all over her injured body.

"Yeah, and you look like the living dead," I teased as I walked over to her. My muscles were stiff, so I tried to stretch them out. She handed me the green salve stuff when she was done, and I coated my body with it.

I looked around and realized I didn't see Cat up and moving.

"Katniss?" I asked her, raising my eyebrows in worry. "Where's Cat?"

She took a deep breath and sighed. Sadness came over her.

She's dead. She's got to be. No no no no no no NO!

Katniss grabbed my arm and dragged me over to the place where Cat was laying. I studied her for a moment, taking in her condition.

Her whole body was red as an apple. Not a good first thing to notice, but anyway...her eyes were clenched tight and she wrapped her arms around herself as though she were cold, even though the air was a little warm for my liking at the moment. Someone had put leaves and grass over her as an attempt to try and make her feel better. There was a sheen of sweat coating her face and neck. Her breathing was shallow, unsteady.

I turned to Katniss, confused. How had she gotten so sick overnight?

Katniss leaned down and moved some of the leaves away near her injured leg. My heart dropped to my stomach and stopped for a moment when I saw the black lines trailing up and down her leg.

Blood poisoning.

If she wasn't treated soon, she would die. There's no way around it.

Katniss put her hand on my shoulder consolingly.

"Haymitch sent us a note with the bread. He said he didn't have enough money from sponsors to get her some medicine. And even so, she really needs a doctor's help. No medicine alone would be enough," Katniss explained to me as we reluctantly went to get some food. Lulu put the rest of the bread down and sat next to Cat, looking at her worriedly.

We all ate in silence around where the fire had been last night, and I kept glancing up at Cat, hoping she'd wake up so that she could eat something. Then again, would it stay down?

It'd only been one day, and there were already so many tributes dead. I hoped that this was a sign that we could be out of here in a week, one way or another. I was already starting to get homesick.

I glanced around the area. We had been so tired and hurt last night that I didn't pay much attention to it.

We were in a small flat of land, a circle about 7 feet wide, and trees surrounded us. There was a little pathway from here to the beach that looked like it had been cut out. Did Finnick do that? I don't remember.

"What now?" asked Lulu once everyone was done eating from where Cat was laying.

I was about to answer her when I heard a little cough coming from behind Lulu.

In an instant, we all rushed over to her.

She opened her eyes and stared up at us for a moment.

"How are you feeling?" Lulu asked, voice strained and crackly.

I saw Cat swallow and wince as she did so.

"I don't feel good," she said, sounding weakened. She reached her hand up to move some hair from her face.

"What feels wrong?" I asked her urgently. I figured we could try and soothe some of her symptoms if we knew what felt like what.

"I feel like I'm on fire, my stomach hurts, and I'm dizzy," Cat said, closing her eyes again and sighing.

Someone tapped my shoulder. I turned to see Lulu.

"The water, it's cold," she said, pointing towards the beach.

I nodded.

I was about to go and pick up Cat and carry her out into the water, but Lulu got there first. She picked Cat up. I didn't know she was strong enough, but I stood corrected.

Cat moaned. Her face contorted in pain, and her lip quivered.

"Sorry," Lulu whispered. We followed her out of the woods and to the sandy beach.

The sand was hot on my feet, so I tried my best to sort of hop around on it. I would have found my actions hilarious had I not been watching one of my best friends slowly dying.

We reached the water, and Lulu sat down in the water first in a shallow area, then lowered Cat in and let her stretch out. Cat's head ended up in my lap, and her feet in Lulu's. Katniss, Finnick, and Peeta sat down in front of us.

I noticed that Peeta had the tin full of water in his hands.

"Cat, do you think you could drink something?" I asked her soothingly, using the quietest of voices so as not to make her ears hurt or something.

"Yeah," she said. Peeta handed the tin to Katniss, who scooted forward until she was right next to Cat's stomach. Little waves washed over Cat's fiery body.

I placed the back of my hand on her forehead, then her neck, and her cheeks. It practically burned my hand to touch her.

"Here I've got water. Open your mouth for me," Katniss urged. Cat obliged, and Katniss pressed the opened tin to her lips. Water trickled into her mouth.

Cat swallowed and winced again, but then she relaxed a little.

"That feels good," she said. I smiled a little.

She drank some more water while Finnick and Peeta kept an eye out for any dangers. Once she said she couldn't drink anymore or it wouldn't stay down, Katniss twisted the lid onto the container and just watched her.

I looked out at the water, squinting my eyes at the glare of the sun. The water was calm and smooth.

Wait a second. What was that?

As the shape in question came closer, I realized it was a huge wave of water coming towards us.

"We've gotta get out, there's a huge wave coming at us," I said, picking Cat up as gently and quickly as I could.

The wave approached faster than expected, so just barely had time to stand and face the opposite direction when it hit. The cool water did feel good, but now we were all soaked. Wonderful.

Suddenly, a cannon went off, signifying the death of yet another tribute. I gasped, and all eyes immediately went to the girl in my arms.

"I'm fine," she said. I let out a sigh of relief.

I shivered from the coolness of the water, but Cat seemed to enjoy it. Then again, the water practically turned into steam when it touched her, so it probably just felt like warm water out of a faucet to her.

We walked onto the beach and sat down again, ignoring the fact that the sand was sticking to us. We put our legs out straight so that Cat could stretch out on our laps.

**Lulu POV**

I looked down worriedly at Cat, shivering from the cool water that had just crashed into us.

"Katniss, you really should be drinking," Peeta said, pointing to to the tin of water in her hands. "The baby needs it."

Oh yeah, right. Katniss was supposed to be pregnant throughout this whole thing.

Katniss nodded, taking small sips of the water.

There was a comfortable silence before Cat spoke up.

"I saw Andre," she said quietly, keeping her eyes shut tight. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "And Robbie."

Andre? Robbie?

Oh wait a second. Those were her friends in the arena last year. And they came back as ghosts…

"Yeah?" Peeta asked, looking around absentmindedly.

"Yeah. Early this morning," Cat explained, a tiny smile crossing her face. "Right before you woke up, Finn."

Finnick glanced down at her. "Huh?"

"Andre and Robbie," she said, trying to talk louder. "Our friends. They were ghosts."

Finnick nodded, seeming to know what she was talking about.

"And what'd they say?" contributed Katniss.

"They were just checking in," Cat replied, following by what looked like a painful intake of breath.

I looked out around absently, not looking at anything in particular.

Suddenly I saw two large figures heading towards us. They were far away, so I couldn't make out any faces.

"Hide!" I hissed, and without question, everyone complied. We jumped behind a bush as quick as we could, and Cat hissed a little bit in pain.

The two figures continued to approach us, and I squinted in the effort of trying to see who the heck they were.

The first thing I could make out was that they were covered in some sort of red…paint? Liquid? I don't know. But they were redder than Cat's hair.

Suddenly Finnick made a weird noise and jumped out of hiding.

"Johanna!" he exclaimed, smiling at the two approaching people. A few moments later, I could make out who they were.

Katniss scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Of freaking course," she muttered.

I take it she was not happy.

Her mood changed when she saw who Johanna was dragging with her.

"BEETEE!" she exclaimed, jumping out of the bush and practically tackling Beetee with an embrace.

Jade, Peeta, and I came out of hiding too, standing up to greet our newcomers.

Beetee's eyes rested on Cat, who lie limply in Jade's arms again.

"She's got blood poisoning," I explained sadly. Beetee nodded solemnly.

"Beetee?" Cat croaked, her eyes opening again as she turned slowly to face him. He smiled at her.

"How are you, Cat?" he asked. She attempted a laugh.

"Not good. I'm so glad you're here," she said in a rush of air. She took in a shaking breath, and her breathing started to go back into its rapid mode again.

All I wanted to do was take all the sickness away from her. She didn't deserve this. She's so sweet, and she was doing everything she could…

"Spill," Katniss sneered at Johanna, making her annoyance known.

Johanna rolled her eyes.

"We got caught in a flood of this blood rain, and my friend Blight got killed. Nothing more to say, 12," she explained. Katniss didn't respond.

"I already made a pact with Johanna before the Games started. We can all be allies now!" Finnick said happily.

"Ugh," Katniss complained, staring up at the sky in irritation. I chuckled under my breath, and I saw Jade suppressing a smile.

"Oh come on, fire girl. You find out that you're getting two new very good allies and you complain about it?" Johanna said. She kind of had a point there.

"Oh I'm not complaining about Beetee," Katniss replied. "I'm glad he's here."

Johanna smirked at her, and Peeta and Finnick looked on cautiously, ready to step in if their little disagreement continued.

Suddenly she reached over and slapped Katniss so hard it made an audible _smack!_

I gasped as Katniss recuperated.

Johanna held up the axe in her hand, which I hadn't noticed until now, and smiled.

"Don't test me, fire girl," she said, swinging it dangerously.

Finnick stepped between the two of them, putting a hand on the handle of Johanna's axe.

"OKAYYY, that's enough…" he said. "Give me the axe."

"No," Johanna said, but she lowered her weapon. Finnick let go of it and looked at her warningly.

**(A/N: Why does that remind me of Beck and Jade? Beck always trying to make Jade cool it, and Jade protests but does it anyway? Haha.)**

"I still don't understand. Why did YOU team up with BEETEE? I just don't see it," I asked Johanna. She looked over at me.

"I had instructions to save him for Katniss. Don't ask me why, I don't know," she explained. She threw her axe down into the ground, where it stuck in the sand, and waded off into the water to clean off the blood rain.

Blood rain. That sounds eerie just saying it.

**Katniss POV**

Of all the freaking people that Finnick could choose to team up with, it HAD to be Johanna. I don't know why, she just annoys me. She's so…cocky, full of it. I can't stand it.

But, she did bring Beetee back, so I had to thank her for that. Not out loud of course. But thank her nonetheless.

We headed back into the woods to our little circle, where Jade laid Cat down on the ground. Cat didn't even stir.

We turned our attention to trying to save Beetee's life. He had been stabbed in the back with someone's knife, and it was a deep cut.

"We could try putting moss in it," I suggested, seeing a patch of soft moss not too far away. I went over and grabbed some of it.

"Not much else we can do," Peeta said, stuffing Beetee's wound with it. It wasn't going to do much good, but something was better than nothing.

I noticed a strange metal object sitting next to Beetee. I had no idea what it was, but I picked it up and examined it.

"Hold on to it for me?" Beetee asked me as Jade helped him stand up. He winced slightly.

"Yeah, sure," I said, setting it down with our weapons. I made sure to tuck it in between a couple of knives to try and keep it safe.

Night was starting to fall, and the air began to chill up again. I glanced over at Cat to see if she was alright.

Once I confirmed that her condition hadn't changed, I glanced back at the group in front of me.

**Peeta POV**

All of us sat around where the fire was last night. For a while, we explained to Johanna and Beetee all the things we had encountered. The fog, the huge tidal-like wave. Johanna did the same while Beetee rested, explaining about the blood rain.

Cat began muttering something.

"What Cat?" I asked her. She seemed to be sleeping.

"Tick tock," she said. Tick tock? What kind of dream was she having?

I brushed it off and turned back to the others.

"Look, let's just go to sleep, okay? I don't feel like talking to you people anymore," Johanna hissed, and this time it was me who rolled my eyes.

She didn't seem to notice though, as she laid down on the cold ground as far away from us all as she possibly could. Finnick sighed.

"I'll take watch," Jade said, shivering slightly.

"Me too," Katniss added, sitting next to her. They sort of huddled together for warmth.

I walked over to Katniss and kissed her lips softly. "Be careful."

She smiled lightly. "We'll be fine."

I sighed and laid down near her. She took my hand and drew little circles on it, and Jade leaned against her.

Finnick laid down where he had been last night and closed his eyes in silence. He didn't seem cold or anything. He actually looked sort of bored.

I glanced up, looking for Lulu.

She went and laid down next to Cat, taking Cat's arm and wrapping it around herself. She looked up at Cat with tears in her eyes.

My heart broke a little at the two of them. Lulu loved Cat to death, it was probably killing her to watch Cat in misery like this.

Soon though, Lulu closed her eyes and went to sleep. Night had fallen completely.

"Goodnight," I said to Katniss and closed my eyes. It didn't take long at all for me to fall asleep.

**Jade POV**

Soon enough, it was just Katniss and I that were awake. I huddled up against her, as the night air was freezing against my skin. Katniss wrapped an arm around me, as the other one was occupied by Peeta's hand.

"You think Cat will be alright?" I asked Katniss, glancing up at her.

She sighed. "I really don't know. Depends on how quick we can get out of here."

I nodded, looking at Cat and Lulu. Lulu must be devastated with Cat being so sick.

The wind started to pick up a little, blowing my flowing black hair in my face. I didn't even have the energy to brush it away.

After a few hours of pure silence, twelve bongs rang out again. It was the dead of night. Midnight.

Okay, so there are twelve bongs at midnight. Or at least I think it's midnight, I don't know. So what's that mean?

I sighed. The thinking was making my already aching head hurt worse. I just listened to the sound of the ocean as the minutes passed on by.

**A/N: I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I hope you enjoyed it though. Thanks again for all your feedback, it really means a lot to me I'll try to make the next chapter better and get it done faster for you guys. See you soon! **


	26. Tick Tock, The Arena's A Clock

**A/N: First and foremost, CAT IS NOT GOING TO DIE. In the words of Sikowitz, GOOD GANDHI. Anyway, HELLOOO! Hope everyone is still hanging in there with me. I know my last chapter downright sucked. But I hope this one is better! **

**Peeta POV**

When I woke the following morning, I heard two voices talking quickly in a heated discussion. One voice was Katniss's, and judging by the somewhat deep, edgy voice that responded to Katniss's, she was talking to Jade. Or arguing? I don't know.

"Morning," I said, coming up to Katniss with a smile. She glanced at me and smiled quickly, kissed me, then turned quickly to Jade again.

I raised an eyebrow at the two of them, wondering what they were talking about.

"Okay so we know the arena is a a clock-"

"The arena WHAT?" I interrupted her. When did this get figured out?!

She glanced over at me. "Jade and I figured the arena out! It's a clock! You know how there's twelve bongs at noon and midnight? Well we figured out that each area of the arena is lethal at a certain point in the day."

"Wow," I said, not knowing really what to say. That was pretty impressive for them to have figured that all out.

"So should we draw out a map?" asked another familiar voice. I turned around and saw that not only was Beetee awake (he was the one who asked the question) but everyone else minus Cat and Lulu were awake.

"Yeah, I think that'd be good," Jade said. "Not now though."

Johanna groaned. "Oh, sorry, is it too early for anyone to do anything yet?"

I shot a glare at her. Does she have to be mean to EVERYONE?

"No. We can't stay in one place, because if each area is lethal at a certain hour, then obviously we'll get hit with something whenever we stay somewhere for too long," Finnick explained, coming up and joining our group. We were now all sitting around the area where the fire had been. Even though we had likely all just woken up (except for Jade and Katniss), we were all wide awake now with this new important realization.

"We gotta move. We don't want anything, or anyone, for that matter, to find us," I urged. This new information made me really antsy, and I just wanted to keep moving.

Finnick nodded and yawned, stretching out his muscles which were probably stiff. Laying on the ground isn't fun.

"I'll go wake Lulu and Cat up," Katniss said, her frantic voice softening. I threw a sympathetic look at her as she went to go wake the two sleeping girls.

**Cat POV**

"Cat."

I woke to the sound of my name being called softly.

"Cat."

Katniss. That's who was calling me. Had I fallen asleep in the Meadow? What were we doing last night, anyway?

"Cat, wake up," came another voice. Lulu's.

I opened my eyes slowly. My head pounded and all my symptoms from yesterday seemed to only be getting worse. I felt absolutely horrible.

Suddenly everything came back to me in a rush. We were in the arena. This was the Quarter Quell, third one to be exact. We had a really big alliance going on. I think Johanna and Beetee were with us now, but I couldn't remember everything. Oh yeah, and I was really sick, because I got a gash in my leg and it got infected. I have blood poisoning.

Wonderful.

Katniss smiled a little bit down at me. "Morning, Cat."

I forced a tiny smile. "Hi," I squeaked.

"Are you thirsty or hungry?" Katniss asked me, brushing some hair out my face.

"I just want to drink something," I said. My stomach felt horrible, but my throat and mouth were parched, and the thirst was awful. I just wanted water, nothing else.

Katniss nodded, then got up for a moment, probably to go get water.

I glanced down at Lulu. It was then that I noticed that my arm was around her. She looked up at me, a look of pure devastation in her eyes.

"I'm okay," I assured her, hugging her as tight as I could possibly hug her in my weakened state.

Katniss returned with a tin full of water, and I drank every bit of it. I felt a little guilty afterwards.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly, licking my lips.

"Don't worry about it, you need that," Katniss explained.

Lulu stood up and stretched. She too took a drink after Peeta came and refilled the tin of water. Jade joined Katniss at my side.

"How do you feel?" Jade asked me, feeling my forehead and neck. She winced.

I sighed and coughed.

There was a moment of silence and Katniss and Jade looked at me expectantly.

"I really don't feel good, Jadey," I said. Jade let out a breath and closed her eyes for a moment, a look of pain crossing her face. I frowned. I don't like it when she's hurting.

Katniss put a hand on Jade's back comfortingly. I smiled a little.

"Well we figured out the arena. And what we do know is that we have to keep moving," Katniss explained to me. I swallowed and waited for her to continue.

"We'll carry you around, okay? Don't worry about a thing," said Jade. "Don't want to hurt you even more."

_Don't want to hurt you even more. _Because if I get hurt any more, I'll be dead for sure.

I thought of Sammy back at home, probably sitting in front of Elizabeth and Prim's television, watching this whole thing happen. My eyes started to burn.

"Shh, it's alright," Katniss assured me, and Lulu came back and sat down with us. Well, she crawled underneath my arm again.

A tear slid down my cheek. "I just wanna go home."

Jade squeezed my hand tightly. "We'll get you home. We won't let anything happen to you."

I sniffled and tried to pull myself together. Katniss, Lulu, and Jade just sat there and whispered comforting words to me.

Soon enough though, the three of them went to gather up all the supplies we had, and surprisingly it was Lulu who came and picked me up. She didn't seem to be struggling at all.

"You're strong," I said, and Lulu laughed.

"Adrenaline. I can't even pick up a big rock normally," she joked. I smiled.

**Jade POV**

Once we had gathered everything up, including the spile and Beetee's strange metal object (which turned out to be wire), and we headed back to the beach. Finnick led the way.

It didn't take us too long, but we went to a different area of the beach than the one that we had been going to for the past day or so. This was close to the Cornucopia, where everyone had first gotten into the real part of the arena. I glanced at Finn questioningly. He just shrugged. I guess he just wanted to come here, of all places.

We sat down in the sand. Lulu laid Cat down so that her head was in my lap. She had already fallen back asleep, so I didn't bother her.

I noticed that there were birds chirping happily and smiled a little, remembering the sound of the Meadow.

Peeta took an arrow and began to draw the arena as we told him what we knew. In about five minutes, we had an almost completed version of the arena. I felt accomplished.

There was a moment of silence after Peeta was done, and I realized something. It was too silent.

The birds had stopped singing.

What happened next seemed to be a blur but in slow motion at the same time. Katniss and Johanna instantly spun around, and there were some enemy tributes behind us getting ready to attack. Johanna hacked at one of them with her axe and Katniss drew an arrow quicker than I had ever seen anyone do it, and hit the enemy right in the throat.

Gloss and Cashmere fell to the ground, blood seeping from their wounds. Two cannons proved our victory.

The other two attackers, who I recognized as Enobaria and Brutus, scampered away into the woods before anyone could catch them.

My heart was beating quickly and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I noticed that Cat had pulled together the strength to crawl up into my lap and hide her face in my neck. My arms were wrapped tightly around her.

"They're gone. It's okay," I told her, and she looked up at me. Her eyes were red and bloodshot.

I helped her lay back down as Katniss, Finn, and Johanna came to sit down with us again in front of Peeta's map of the arena.

_Glad that's over…_ I thought to myself, clutching my sword and glancing around nervously.

Suddenly, the ground started to vibrate. I glanced at the others with a questioning look.

It started to vibrate more, so we stood up, looking down to see if we could see anything. I held onto Cat tightly.

The vibration intensified suddenly into a horrifying earthquake. Katniss came over to me and Cat and threw herself onto the two of us in an attempt to keep us on the ground. I saw Beetee get thrown into the water and vaguely wondered if he was going to be alright.

The earthquake continued on and on, and we could barely move or we would get thrown off into the water. Mine and Katniss's faces were a deep red in the effort to keep Cat safe and to remain standing.

**Lulu POV**

The earthquake cut off much more suddenly than it had begun, and I stumbled for a moment before falling face first into the sand. The knife I was clutching cut my face, but I held my tongue and just wiped away the blood that streamed from my new wound.

I looked around. Katniss, Cat, and Jade were alright. Cat opened her eyes and glanced around, and I saw her say "Is it over?"

Katniss nodded as I walked up to them.

We looked around. Finn and Peeta had jumped into the water to go save Beetee, who must've gotten thrown off during the quake. Johanna had dug her axe into the sandy ground and held onto it tightly. She was dislodging it and walking over to us.

"Is the kid alright?" she asked, brushing herself off as she pointed briefly to Cat.

Cat opened her eyes a crack and then shut them again, a pained look crossing her face.

Peeta and Finn returned, and a sputtering Beetee walked along with them, hanging onto Finn's shoulder.

Once they got up to us, I turned to glance at Finn. His eyes widened and he immediately leaned down to look at my face.

"Jeez Lu, you shouldn't just let that go like that. Come on, let's go clean it out and try to bandage it," Finn said, putting an arm around my shoulders and leading me to the water.

Lu. He had called me Lu. Not Lulu, Lu.

I smiled up at him.

"Thanks Finn," I said, and he smiled. He put some water in his hands and splashed it on my face. It stung, but I didn't say anything.

Once he was done, he tore of a bit of his shirt, went into the woods quickly and made some sort of weird paste, and put the pasted "bandage" over my cut.

"There," he said. I smiled.

Suddenly he reached down into the water and splashed me, soaking my shirt.

I gasped at the cold water. "FINNICK!"

He smiled sheepishly.

I splashed him too. "Two can play THAT game."

"Oh really?" he said, splashing me again. "Whatcha gonna do about it?"

I splashed him, soaking him from head to toe. Suddenly it was an all-out water war, and for a while I wasn't scared.

Once we were done, Finnick smiled at me and led me out of the water, and the two of us were dripping wet. I saw the others smiling at us.

"You got a brother at home?" asked Finn, sitting down with me next to Jade. I felt Cat's forehead and tried to cool her down with my wet hands. I found a shell and went and got more water.

"No, I don't," I said, pouring it gently onto her forehead. Cat sighed.

Finn chuckled a little. "Well then I'll be your big brother. How's that sound?"

I looked up at him, awestruck.

I smiled and hugged him tight.

"What now?" asked Johanna, obviously not interested in my newly found friend. Excuse me, _older brother. _Man it feels great to say that.

"I don't know. Wanna go back to the woods?" asked Katniss, drawing a little pattern in the sand.

We looked around at each other, and I shrugged.

"Better idea than anything," I said, and the others muttered sounds of agreement. Katniss took Cat from Jade's arms, and Jade took Katniss's bow for her. Finnick and I walked alongside Katniss and Cat. Peeta led the way into the woods.

After about ten minutes of silent walking, we settled down in an empty clearing. Out of nowhere, Jade drew three arrows and shot them as fast as Katniss. I raised an eyebrow at her and she went to pick up three of those little rodent things we ate earlier. I noticed that we were close to the edge of the arena, because when you looked over the edge a little, there was just a huge canyon below.

Jade threw the now-skinned rodents at the force field, which cooked them, and Katniss laid Cat down so that her head was in my lap. Jade tore off some meat for the both of us.

"Cat, you need to try to eat," I said, shaking her gently. I didn't know if she was awake.

"Mmm.." she groaned, and turned her head away.

"Cat, please?" I asked in my best begging voice.

She turned to me and opened her eyes.

She sighed. "Okay."

Slowly but surely, she reached up and grabbed the meat and took little bites of it. Thankfully, oh so thankfully, she managed to keep it down even though her stomach tried to protest. Eventually, her stomach quit lurching, and she was able to relax again.

After everyone had eaten, Finn and Katniss went to go get water. They took the tin we had and the spile and headed over to a thick tree.

**Katniss POV**

I grabbed a knife and walked over with Finnick to try and get some water from a tree.

"That's really nice, what you're doing," I told him as I began stabbing at the tree.

"What?" he asked me, glancing up from my work. My eyes met with his sea green ones.

"Being Lulu's 'big brother'. Do you know how much that means to her?" I asked him.

He was silent as he waited for me to continue.

"Lulu has no family. Just two friends. You're the closest to family that she has, and that she'll probably ever have," I told him as my eyes started to water from the realization that she might not make it out of here.

Finnick's eyes did the same. "Well I'm glad I could help."

I smiled and sniffed.

Just as I was about to return to hacking away at the tree, a bloodcurdling scream sounded through the trees.

This wasn't just any scream. Not some random tribute's. This wasn't any of us, either.

My eyes widened and my stomach leaped. I dropped my knife.

"PRIM!"

**A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Haha. Hope this was better than the last chapter, enjoy please review!**


	27. Jabberjays and the Sunrise

**A/N: What's up, guys? Seems like everyone enjoyed that last chapter, I'm glad! This story is reaching the end, I think, and I'm sure that the next one will be started not long after this one finishes. **

**I would like to know though….does anyone actually WANT the last of this series? Because if no one wants it, I don't see a need to write it. So please let me know in a review! **

**So, onto the story!**

**Katniss POV**

I tore into the woods, dropping my knife before I ran. I knew that was a stupid idea, because someone could attack me, but I wasn't thinking about it. All I wanted to do was get to Prim, find out why in the world she's in this arena, and save her.

Oh god. Did I fail Snow? I failed him! I knew it! I should have been more lovey on Peeta. Oh my god I am so stupid!

Prim's scream rang out again, and my heart stopped for a second.

"PRIM! PRIM, WHERE ARE YOU?" I cried out to her, straining my voice to scream as loud as I could.

I reached where the sounds were coming from, but I could find her. Yet the bloodcurdling screams continued.

I looked up to where I heard the screams and saw a jabberjay. Jabberjays can mimic human sounds, sort of like a mockingjay.

I calmed down a little, realizing it wasn't real. But I was still angry. How could they do this to me?

I found a nearby rock and lobbed it at the stupid bird, and I knew I had killed it. Good.

Peeta, Finnick, and Jade appeared as they ran into the clearing that I had found myself in. They were panting and looking worriedly at me.

"It was a jabberjay," I said. "They can mimic human sounds…"

I trailed off at the end. They can't create human sounds. They can _mimic _them.

So where had the bird heard Prim screaming like that?

Peeta must have sensed my realization and grabbed my arms, then held them behind my back.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" I screamed up at the sky. I hoped that the Capitol could hear me.

"Katniss, relax," Peeta whispered in my ear. I ignored him.

"WHY DID YOU TAKE HER? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER? DID YOU KILL HER?" I screamed, my voice breaking at the end. What if they did kill her?

What would I do if they killed her?

"Katniss!" Peeta said, louder this time. I turned to him instead of ignoring him. His eyes found mine, and as usual, I just melted in his arms.

He hugged me tightly as my body shook from head to toe. Prim had to be okay. She had to be.

"Katniss, they're fake. The Capitol did this. There's no way Prim is hurting," Peeta assured me, rubbing my back soothingly.

When he let go of me, I was calm enough that I could wrap my head around the fact that this wasn't real. Prim is fine.

Another jabberjay called out, and this time it was Finnick who responded. His body went rigid, and he turned in the direction of the screaming.

"ANNIE!"

Jade jumped on his back, knowing that holding him back wouldn't do any good. He was too strong.

"Get off! I have to find Annie!" he cried, trying to throw Jade off. But Jade held on, digging her nails into his chest.

"It's not real Finnick! Annie is fine!" she exclaimed as Finnick continued to try and get loose from Jade's iron grip.

"How do you know that? She could be dying!" Finnick yelled. He shook his body roughly to the side, and Jade slipped a little but held on tightly.

"FINNICK! CALM DOWN!" screeched Jade.

Finn stopped trying to protest and relaxed his tensed muscles.

Jade jumped off his back and guided him back to us.

"Let's get out of here. I can't do this," I said, not wanting to hear Prim screaming again.

The four of us ran back towards the campsite, ignoring the cries of pain that the jabberjays were creating as best as we could.

When we reached the campsite, we tried to walk over to where Cat lay and Lulu was watching.

But as I tried to move over to them, I found that there was some sort of barrier.

Lulu's mouth moved, but I couldn't hear anything.

"We're trapped," Peeta breathed, his breath hot on my neck.

And so we were. We couldn't hear a thing from outside this invisible but still very much there barrier. Hard as we tried, we couldn't break it. Any rock we threw at it just bounced back at us, and trying to smash through it was like trying to smash through steel. We had no choice but to stay in this torture chamber.

The next hour was agonizing. I don't remember how many times I heard Prim scream, or Clove, or one of Peeta's brothers, or Gale, or whoever this Annie girl was. It started off as just screaming but turned into words too. I heard "Jade, help!" or "Finnick, help!" or "Someone please help and get me out of here!" about a million times before the hour was up.

When the wall lifted, we were all in shock. Beetee, Lulu, and Johanna had to help us all lie down for a while. Lulu and Beetee whispered comforting words and explained over and over that it wasn't real, while horrific images played through my mind. Johanna sat next to Cat, not even looking at her, and just stared at us, scoffing every once and a while.

**Jade POV**

Once we had all calmed down enough to function again, Johanna started her line of insults.

"Wow. Takes that long to calm down from something that wasn't real," she sneered. I felt my blood broiling inside of me.

I grabbed my sword from where it was leaning against a tree.

"How would YOU feel if you stood there, trapped, for an HOUR as you hear the voices of everyone you love screaming for your help?" I screamed at her, my voice rising with every word. I swung my sword around dangerously.

Johanna just smirked at me. Oh really?

I shoved my sword tip into Johanna's chest. Not puncturing skin or anything, just against it hard enough that it might leave a mark.

"Wanna test me?" I growled at her, eyes ablaze with fury.

Johanna smirked. Again.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" I screeched, and Beetee came up next to me. I turned to him.

"Leave me alone," I hissed as I turned back to Johanna. He held his hands up in surrender and backed away from me.

"Why do you have to be so mean to EVERYONE? DON'T YOU CARE ABOUT ANYTHING?" I continued, driving the tip in more. Blood appeared, but Johanna didn't even flinch.

"WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE BACK AT HOME? IN YOUR DISTRICT? DON'T YOU HAVE SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT?" I yelled. "OR ARE YOU TOO STUCK UP IN YOUR OWN WORLD TO HAVE TIME FOR ANYONE ELSE?"

Johanna's cool composure dropped, and anger flashed in her eyes.

"I don't have anyone else that I love. Because THEY took them away from me. Alright?" she hissed, her chest heaving. I was silent.

"We both hate the Capitol equally. We both want the same thing. So I suggest you get your sword off of me before this gets any worse," she concluded, her tone turning so cold that a shiver ran up my spine.

My anger subsided to a dull roar as I pulled my sword away from Johanna and threw it to the ground near a tree.

Johanna wiped the blood off her chest with the back of her hand, revealing that there was a small cut from where my sword had been. She rolled her eyes.

I sat down on the ground next to Cat and glared at Johanna, who moved away without any protesting.

I felt Cat's forehead, which was still on fire. Her neck and face was covered in sweat, and it was dripping down her neck. Her breathing was very rapid, and she had a pained expression on her face. I really felt for her and wanted her to get better.

"I'm getting water," Johanna said simply. She got up and went to the tree Katniss and Finnick had been at before this had all happened. She found Katniss's knife and hacked away.

Lulu walked over to me and once again crawled underneath Cat's burning hot arm. She sighed and closed her eyes.

Katniss and Peeta were still lying on the ground, but Katniss had moved over so that she could lie her head on Peeta's chest. Peeta had his arm around Katniss.

I could hear them talking. Peeta explained to Katniss that the voice Finn was hearing was probably Annie Cresta, Finnick's girlfriend. They had both been in the Games, and apparently Annie went crazy after she got out of the arena.

I sighed. Poor Finn…

I heard the sound of a cannon, and out of instinct, I did a head count. Everyone was here, including Johanna, who was still hacking away at that tree for water. I watched as she broke through and filled the tin with water and brought it over to us.

Everyone drank until we were satisfied, and I helped coax some down Cat's throat. She was being much more reluctant to eat or drink anything which was scary.

Katniss left to go get some more meat so that we'd all have something to eat, while Lulu tended to Cat and urged her to try and eat.

**Katniss POV**

I walked over to where Jade, Cat, and Lulu were while Peeta talked to Finnick and Beetee. Lulu was trying to get Cat to eat.

"Please?" Lulu said, and her voice broke. I couldn't tell if she was acting or not, but if she was, she was doing well.

Cat gave in and ate, but it didn't stay down for long. I frowned at her after she finished vomiting. This wasn't a good sign. She was getting worse.

And Haymitch couldn't send ANYTHING in?!

I would literally rather sacrifice myself so that Cat could get something to heal herself if that's what the Capitol wanted. I tried to keep my anger to myself, knowing that whichever 3 remaining tributes were out there probably heard Jade screaming her lungs out at Johanna earlier.

Cat shivered as she tried to settle back down again, and she opened her eyes just a crack. Lulu glanced down at her.

Cat lifted her arm a little, and Lulu immediately crawled under it again. Cat held her close.

I heard Jade sniffle.

I turned to her, and she was just staring at Cat. I wondered what she was thinking about.

The longer I watched her, the more tears welled up in her eyes.

"Jade? What's wrong?" I asked her. She turned and faced me, face all scrunched up.

"Cat could die. She obviously isn't getting any better, and we aren't making much progress on getting out of here. Time is essential, and we're running out of it," she began, a single tear rolled down her face.

I could picture an hourglass in my head. The sand was slowly shifting from the top to bottom, and I wanted to tip it back over again, to give her more time, but as much as I tried to grab it, there was some sort of wall keeping me from reaching it.

Cat was dying. End of story. And I couldn't do anything about it. Jade couldn't do anything about it. None of us could.

I wrapped my arms around Jade and she buried her face in my neck. I could feel hot liquid, like rain, dripping onto my chest, and it didn't take much to figure out what it was. I closed my eyes and rested my head atop Jade's.

Cat's so young. Well really, she's the same age as us but…she for once has more than one person to get back to! And I know we're trying to save Peeta, but let's face it, we all knew that we wanted to try and get more than one person out of here.

I thought of Sammy and Frankie. They must be devastated right now, watching Cat slipping away before their eyes.

I felt someone's hand on my shoulder, and I opened my eyes. Peeta looked at me sympathetically. Jade looked up from my neck.

He pointed at Cat and Lulu. Lulu had fallen asleep with Cat, who had a tiny little smile on her face. I smiled. A real one. Jade did too.

"You two need to sleep. You haven't slept since the first night," he urged, and I nodded. As if on cue, I started to feel ridiculously tired.

Jade and I moved off to a separated area of this little clearing and lie down. I made my arms form sort of a pillow and faced Jade, who did the same.

"She'll be alright. She has to be," I assured Jade.

Jade was silent for a moment. "We don't know that. Katniss, let's not sugarcoat it, okay? I can't deal with that."

I nodded, knowing exactly how she felt. "I get it. I won't sugarcoat it anymore."

"Thanks. Goodnight," Jade said, and sniffed.

"Goodnight," I replied, closing my eyes.

**Peeta POV**

I watched as Jade and Katniss exchanged parting words before they went to sleep, then turned to those who were still awake.

Finn, Johanna, and Beetee stared back at me.

"Well, I'm going to sleep, so two of you can watch," Johanna said simply. She walked as far as the clearing went and lie down. I rolled my eyes. I hated her more and more as time went on, but felt a little sympathy at the fact that the Capitol killed/took/whatever her family.

I glanced at Beetee. "Go to sleep. You're weak from your wound," I practically ordered. Beetee didn't question me and did as I said.

That left Finn and I to be on watch.

He was looking over at Cat and Lulu. He swallowed and turned to me.

"You okay?" I asked him. He started to nod, but then he shook his head.

"I wish Cat would get better. It's destroying those poor girls," he said. He glanced over at Jade and Katniss, then at Lulu. If you could see someone's heart in their eyes, then I could surely see his breaking.

I nodded.

"It's hard to watch someone you love hurting," I said quietly, my eyes finding Katniss. She was breathing deeply and slowly, signifying that she had fallen asleep.

We were silent for a while as night fell completely, and a question came to mind.

"So why'd you 'take Lulu in' if that's what you wanna call it?" I asked Finnick. He glanced up at me and shrugged.

"She's got no family. No older male figure to look up to. Why not be that older male role model for her? At least for a little while?" he explained, and I smiled slightly.

"That's nice of you," I said. Finnick smiled.

"You and Katniss are a lot alike. That's almost exactly what she said," he explained, and I smiled.

The rest of the night was mostly a comfortable silence with the occasional conversation about our home life. Finnick told be about his life as the Capitol's "chew toy" he called it, what with all the things they make Finnick do. He can't turn them down or someone he loves gets punished. I told Finnick about life in District 12, about my baking, about my painting. Finnick seemed to really enjoy that, and for a while, everything wasn't so bad anymore. It was just two friends talking on a late night after everyone else had gone to sleep.

We heard the twelve bongs again, signifying that the clock had started over, about halfway through our watch. I watched as the sun came up, and my favorite color appeared in the sky. A light orange, the calming one, not the ridiculously bright Capitol-type orange.

I closed my eyes and envisioned that I was lying in bed with Katniss like usual, and she was sleeping in my arms. I was just watching the sunrise.

When I opened my eyes again, they were wet with homesick tears. Finnick either didn't notice or didn't bring it up, because he was silent as the sun came fully up into the sky.

**A/N: Peeta/Finnick bromance. Hmm. Didn't see that one coming. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I tried to add more Katniss/Jade friendship in there. **

**I have an idea for a little Cabbie oneshot, but I don't know whether or not to do it. It'd probably be a little OOC. Anyway, be on the lookout for that, because it just might happen. Still not sure though.**

**Oh, and please answer my question from the beginning Authors Note.**

**One last thing. I probably can't update until next Monday-Tuesday. And after next week, my updates will probably become more and more erratic because of school.**

**Okay, I'm done now, lol. ENJOY! :D please review! :D**


	28. These Fiery Walls

**A/N: Hey guys. So I'm a little upset right now, because Nickelodeon decided that after the last 15 episodes are premiered, they're going to CANCEL Victorious. They're giving us the explanation of "poor ratings". Do they know how many people love this show? Anyway, go to lizgilliesonline's tumblr (just go to lizgilliesonline . tumblr . com without the spaces) and please check out what she wrote about giving Victorious a proper ending episode since we probably can't get the show back. There is ways to contact Nickelodeon, and I think everything we try to do will count. So if you want a proper ending to Victorious, you should check that out and try and help . It'd mean a lot to every Victorious fan, including me.**

**Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Jade POV**

When I woke the next morning, I found myself staring into the eyes of a just-barely-awake Katniss. I sighed and brought my hand up in a weak wave. She smiled half-heartedly at me.

I closed my eyes once more and heard the sounds of the water nearby, and I was reminded of Katniss's pond or lake or whatever you want to call it in the woods, how we skated on it that once, and for some odd reason I was overcome with an urge to jump in the water and swim. I also wanted to talk to someone other than Johanna and Beetee because there was something on my mind that I needed to get out.

I forced myself up and ignored the stiffness in my joints.

"I'm going swimming, anyone care to join me?" I asked plain and simple, not really in the mood to hear any protests.

Katniss glanced up at me. She held her hand out to me, and I took it to help her up.

"We'll be back," she said, kissing a confused but silent Peeta as we went out onto the beach.

I took of my shoes and socks and just jumped in, considering all I was wearing was underclothes. I was soon followed by Katniss.

We were silent for a while as we just simply swam in the cool water, and I tried to forget that we were in an arena and imagine that we were in the lake instead.

I went beneath the clear blue water and closed my eyes, not bothering to pinch my nose shut. No water went up it, luckily. For a moment I thought about staying there and not coming up. Did I really want to go home if it meant losing my friends? Even if I got to see Clove and Dad, I think both Clove and I would rather die than live without Cat, Katniss, and Peeta.

Just as I was denying the thought, arms grabbed me around my midsection and pulled me up out of the water.

Katniss looked at me with hard yet scared eyes. "Jade, please don't do that," she said simply. "You scared me."

I sighed and nodded, pushing my wet hair back out of my face.

"Can I talk to you about something?" I asked, and Katniss gave me her "are you kidding?" look.

"Okay, stupid question," I muttered, shaking my head a little as drips of cool water dripped down my face and neck. A slight wind picked up and made the water feel even colder against my skin. I didn't care though.

"Go on," replied Katniss, sinking down into the water so that only her head bobbed out of it.

I nodded. "I'm worried about Johanna. What if she turns on us and kills us all?"

Katniss's eyes found the shallow bottom of the ocean as a quizzical expression came across her face.

"Well…we can't necessarily get rid of her. But I don't want anything to do with her either," Katniss explained, floating on her back now.

I nodded. "If we try to get rid of her, she might suspect something and get defensive, which wouldn't help matters. And if we keep her, she might turn on us," I said, groaning as I finished my sentence. "Guess we have no way out."

"Hey, darlings?" came the voice I didn't want to hear from behind us, in a sickeningly bittersweet voice that reminded me of President Snow's.

Katniss and I turned and faced Johanna, who looked just as unpleased to have to acknowledge our existence as the two of us were about her.

"What?" I spat, not wanting to deal with her at the moment. Or ever, for that matter.

"Your sick friend wants you," Johanna said, wading into the water herself.

I sighed, my anger fading to a minimum as I said not another word to Johanna when we passed her. I didn't bother to try and dry off or put my shoes back on. I just picked them up, socks tucked inside them, and went back to our campsite.

More bread had come in, twenty four rolls like last time. I was grateful that our sponsors were being generous like this, it really meant a lot to all of us.

Lulu was up and moving, trying to coax bread into a slightly awake Cat. Her breathing was rapid and shallow, and instead of being beet red like she has been for the past day or so, she was a deathly pale. She was sweating like she had just run some marathon like they do in the Capitol sometimes, and her bones were very prominent, I noticed.

My heart fell and I scampered over to her, my dripping hair leaving a trail of water behind me.

"Cat?" I asked nervously, and her eyes found mine. They were just barely open and kept rolling back.

Oh my god. Is this it? Is she going to die?

My stomach was in knots, and I swore I was going to be sick. My vision blurred.

"Cat, talk to us, please," Katniss begged, her voice strained. Peeta and Finnick must've heard us, because the next thing I knew, they were right over here with us. Finnick put a protective arm around me, and I didn't protest. I wondered if he even realized what he was doing. Peeta did the same to Katniss, who leaned into him as her breathing quickened.

"I'm fine," Cat said, her speech slurred.

"Cat, you're not fine. Now tell us what's going on, please," Lulu said, urgency obvious in her voice.

**Sammy POV (back in District 12)**

I woke with a start to the feeling of someone slapping me.

I groaned and looked up at Clove, who to my shock was crying and her eyes were wide with worry. I noted that I was lying on the floor of the Everdeen household, where I'd been pretty much since the Games started. I hadn't eaten a single thing and my stomach growled mercilessly, but I ignored it again as I had been. I'd only been drinking water.

Clove's thinning frame hovered over me, shaking in its entirety.

"Cat!" was all she could squeak out. That was all I needed to hear, and I snapped up and jumped in front of the television screen.

The cameras were zoomed on Cat, Jade, Katniss, Peeta, a guy named Finnick, and a little girl named Lulu. Everyone was huddled around Cat, who looked much worse now. Instead of her body being red, she was an awful pale color that was horrifying in itself. Dark circles surrounded her eyes, and her chest moved up and down in erratic patterns. Her eyes kept rolling back.

"CAT!" I screamed absentmindedly, holding onto the TV and shaking it, as though that make a difference.

"CAT NO!" I yelled, and I felt Clove's arms slip between mine as she tried to pull me back.

"Sam, please-"

"Cat!" I cried, and tears welled up in my eyes. My voice broke in mid-scream. Gale and Mrs. Everdeen came rushing into the room.

Stronger arms now wrapped around mine and pulled me back, despite my angry thrashing. I elbowed Gale in the gut and he groaned, but I was too busy freaking out to care. Nevertheless, he held on to me.

I finally stopped thrashing and allowed my tears to spill over, as Gale somewhat awkwardly hugged me. We were close, but he'd never hugged me before.

He let go and I just stared up at the screen.

"Cat, please, just tell us what's wrong," begged Jade.

"Everything."

Her word was quiet, and came out as more of a breath, but I heard it, and it scared me more than I can explain.

"What can we do?" asked Katniss, looking from person to person urgently.

"I – I don't know! I don't know what to do, I – " Finnick stuttered, obviously flustered by the situation. He looked scared.

"We've gotta do something! We – we have to – to make some medicines! Katniss?" Lulu pitched in, looking at Katniss expectantly.

Katniss opened her mouth, trying to find something to say. Little cracking sounds came out as she tried to speak.

Suddenly she closed her mouth and rage crossed in her eyes.

"Haymitch! NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO BRING IN SOME MEDICINES!" she screamed at the sky, and the same rage started to burn in me. Couldn't anyone do anything? Surely someone cared enough to get something for Cat!

They waited in silence, but nothing happened.

"Perfect. Just perfect!" Peeta yelled, standing up and kicking up dust angrily.

"Stop – please," Cat said, and she opened her eyes fully, struggling to keep them that way.

As though our prayers were answered, a parachute came in, like the ones that had their bread and stuff.

Katniss climbed the tree as quick as I've ever seen, not stopping even when a piece of bark cut her hand. She grabbed the parachute and ripped off the container and threw it down to an open-handed Finnick. She jumped down from the height and amazingly wasn't hurt.

I prayed that whatever was in that parachute was going to save Cat, or at least help her hold out for a little longer.

**Lulu POV**

Finnick tore the canister open and tossed Katniss the vial that was in it. He read the card that he had received too.

"This should help slow her breathing/heart rate. That's all we can do right now," he read aloud, then threw the card on the ground.

Katniss opened the vial quickly and I grabbed it from her suddenly, holding it up to Cat's lips.

Cat looked hesitant but then drank the strange blue-ish substance.

We watched eagerly as we waited for the medicine to take its toll. Slowly, over about a ten minute period in which Johanna returned, her breathing slowed to what I would call a normal level. I put my fingers on her neck and felt her pulse, which had slowed considerably. I let out a sigh of relief and fell back onto the ground.

"Please don't ever scare us like that again, Cat," said Peeta almost miserably as he sat down next to Katniss.

Cat smiled a little. "I won't," she said.

I heard Beetee clear his throat from behind us, and I glanced back at him. He had an eyebrow raised.

"If I may?" he asked, suggesting he had something to say.

Johanna came and sat next to me, and I tried my best to not be annoyed since she really wasn't doing anything to me.

"I have a plan," Beetee said. He then went into fine detail explaining his plan.

He started off by saying that he thought that our enemies, the few that were left, were most likely nearby. They wouldn't stray too far because what good would that do? Being so far from your enemies, your opponents?

That being said, he explained that he had created a way to clear out the area. We'd have to use his wire to create a trap that'd be triggered by the twelve o clock lightning strike. That would electrocute everyone in the area inside the wire. We'd have to be far outside of it to ensure our survival.

If I had to admit it, it seemed far-fetched. We had no guarantee that our enemies were nearby, and how would we know that they wouldn't figure out our plan and escape the area before the lightning strikes?

Beetee made sure to quickly shoot down any doubts until we were all at least somewhat willing to give his mad plan a try.

"So when do we start setting it up?" I questioned, holding onto Cat's hand like I had been for the past half hour while Beetee explained his theory.

"Now, if we can," he said, twirling the wire around on his finger.

I exchanged glances with the others, who shrugged. "The sooner the better" was Jade's reason to get started right away.

Beetee smiled happily.

"Excellent! Okay, so there's a certain tree where the lightning strikes. We'll need to hook the wire up to the tree so that the electricity will circulate through the wire and therefore electrocute everything that lives within the area," Beetee said.

All I got out of it was that we had to hook our trap up on a specific tree. The rest was too much for my aching head to think about.

With Beetee leading the way, Peeta carrying Cat, and the rest of us hauling a mixture of weapons and food, we made a long trek up to said tree.

The whole way there, a million thoughts buzzed through my mind. As much as I trusted Beetee, I vaguely wondered if he planned to force us into the area that was supposed to be electrocuted so that he could become victor. I mentally scolded myself for my awful accusation, but I had unexplained trust issues with everyone. Yes, even Katniss and Jade. I just can't fully trust anyone until they do something major to prove that they don't want to hurt me. Especially in a situation such as this.

I wondered if we would possibly die in the process of trying to practically blow up the arena. I wondered if something would counteract with the force field and destroy everything, and the Quell would have no victor. I basically thought of everything that could go wrong and the outcomes that could happen.

I came to a conclusion. Either a, we would be able to kill our enemies and get out, b, we would kill our enemies but then be forced to kill each other, or c, we would accidently kill our enemies and ourselves. I prayed that A would happen.

When we arrived at the tree, Katniss brought up the force field. She was able to locate it again so that we would be able to steer clear of it. We dug at a tree and got something to drink before we did anything else because we were slightly dehydrated.

"We're in the 11th part of the arena right? Something's coming soon, we need to move away," Johanna said, taking a sip of water.

I nodded. That was true, I don't think we really wanted to be stuck in this area when whatever it is that happens here hit.

So we moved into the 12th part of the arena. There we waited in silence, literal silence, until we were sure that it had passed.

**Katniss POV**

The day was moving quickly on, and we got closer and closer to the setting up of the trap and the execution of it. My heart thudded in my chest as thoughts raced through my mind.

Lunch consisted of the bread we had, tree water, and a TON of fish that Finnick went out and caught after we moved to the beach. It was nice. We sort of forgot about the situation to a degree and enjoyed watching Finnick dive for the fish with his knife. He made sure to stab it in the right place so that the meat on it remained intact and edible.

"Peeta, catch!" Finnick said, throwing an oyster at Peeta, who sat next to me.

He caught it, and he pried it open. I gasped at its contents.

Sitting upon the tissue of the oyster was a small white pearl that gleamed in the sunlight. Peeta smiled down at it, then picked it up.

He grabbed my hand and placed the pearl in it, closing my fingers around it.

"No matter what happens, always keep this and remember that I will never be too far away," Peeta whispered, pressing his forehead against mine.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, his scent filling my nose. I smiled a little, trying to ignore the pang of reality that Peeta might die. Then again, I might as well. I pushed away the negative thoughts and closed the space between us with a kiss as I held on tightly to the pearl, as that might one day be all I have left of him.

When I pulled back and opened my eyes, I found that his were full to the brim with tears.

"Don't cry," I whispered to him, my breath hot.

"But what if I lose you? What if we lose them?" he whispered back.

I grabbed his hand with my free one and clasped my fingers tightly around his, savoring the feeling of his hand in mine. His hands were rough from the dirt. Through the grime and dirt and blood, I could feel his soft, smooth skin. My heart swelled with my love for him, and I tried not to let it swell anymore because it felt like at any moment now it could break.

**Peeta POV**

Johanna and Beetee spent time in their own little corners, but the rest of us spent it together. For the hours and hours that we endured until nightfall, I think everyone was touching in some way. We stayed in one position for the longest time. Katniss and I were lying down on the ground, her head right next to my neck. Cat had actually crawled up next to me herself, and I wrapped my other arm around her. crawling to me seemed like it took every ounce of strength and willpower she had, and that worried me. Lulu slipped her hand in Cat's, who gratefully took it back. Finnick wrapped Lulu up in his arms, warming her up as the night grew cooler. Jade laid her head on Katniss's stomach.

"I don't feel good," Jade complained, clutching her own stomach. Katniss reached her arm down and felt Jade's forehead.

"No fever…Jade, I think you're just scared," Katniss whispered, her voice shaky.

Jade's eyes met hers and in the light of the moon, I could see them shining with unshed tears.

"You're right," she breathed. "I am scared. I don't wanna lose you guys."

Finnick sighed. "Don't worry. We don't plan on going anywhere."

I closed my eyes.

"I close my eyes

And I can see a better day," I sang quietly, a familiar tune popping into my mind. I heard a cover by this really talented group of girls, and for a long time I couldn't stop listening to it before this all happened.

"I close my eyes and

Pray," sang Jade, following along with me.

"I close my eyes

And I can see a better day," came Katniss's voice, and I smiled. I loved hearing her voice.

"I close my eyes and,

Pray," finished another voice. Lulu's. I smiled again. Her voice was sort of high pitched and childish, but good none the less.

Beetee returned to us, dragging along a very annoyed looking Johanna.

"It's time," he said, so quietly I could barely hear him.

I gulped as we all got up. Katniss took Cat in her arms, who had a pained expression on her face. She whimpered.

**Cat POV**

Because I wanted to keep up with what was going on and help if I could, I forced my eyes to stay open despite the pain it caused me.

"Cat? You don't have to do that," Peeta said as he walked quickly towards the tree.

"I wanna help," I said, sounding like a little kid who wanted to be the big girl now.

Peeta grunted as he took a big step up onto the clearing where the tree was.

"We'll let you know what you can do," he told me, and I sighed, my eyes closing again involuntarily. Only this time, I couldn't open them.

All I could do was listen.

**Finnick POV**

We reached the lightning tree.

"I'll wrap the wire around the tree, and I have a plan," Beetee said as he began unraveling his huge coil of wire and tying it around the thick trunk of the tree.

My heart pounded in my chest. I trusted Beetee, don't get me wrong, but what if something goes wrong? What'll we do then?

Who will we lose?

I tried to push the negative thoughts away as Katniss put a concerning hand on my shoulder. I looked over at her and sighed. My muscles relaxed and she moved her hand away.

Beetee finished tying the wire in silence as we awaited further instructions from him. I wrapped my arms around a shaking Lulu and leaned down to her level.

"You'll be alright," I whispered to her, looking her directly in her eyes. I was a bit regretful when I saw that they welled up with unshed tears.

"But what if I'm not? What if Cat's not? What if you're not?" she asked me, fighting to steady her voice.

I swallowed back the rising lump in my throat and glanced down for a moment at the grassy ground beneath us.

I glanced back up at her.

I opened my mouth to say something, but all that came out was a croak. And with that croak came that lump, that feeling that I was going to cry, and I couldn't stop it.

Lulu wrapped her arms around my neck, and I held her close.

"Be strong, no matter what," I whispered in her ear, and she nodded.

I pulled back reluctantly as Beetee cleared his throat, signifying that he was going to announce something.

"Jade, Johanna, and Katniss, I'm going to need you to take this wire and run it all the way down to the beach. That should be enough. Lulu, I'm going to need you to stay with Cat and watch her. Peeta will be with you two. Finnick, I need you to be my lookout and come with me while I scope things out and assure that everything will be alright," Beetee said, using hand gestures to point to where we'd all be going.

That was what I was afraid of. Us all having to separate.

Aside from Beetee and Johanna, arms were thrown around person after person until we were sure we had hugged everyone. Cat started to seem more and more scared, and Lulu and Peeta were doing their best to calm her. Katniss and Peeta had a "moment" before we were forced to move along.

I waved sadly at Peeta, Lulu, and Cat. Lulu looked at me with the most heartbroken eyes I've ever seen and I had to force myself to move along.

**Johanna POV**

Just my luck. Smart Guy Beetee sticks me with the two most stubborn girls in our little "group". I refuse to call it an alliance, because alliance means friends, and they are most definitely NOT my friends.

My stomach churned as I watched everyone give heartfelt goodbyes. It's not like some old drama film where the worst that could happen DOES happen.

Katniss, Jade, and I were silent as we brought the wire out towards the beach. Katniss had her bow and Jade had her sword. Katniss was on watch, leaving Jade and I to pull the wire along, with Jade only pitching in every now and then. She kept an alert eye on our surroundings as well.

As I continued to pull the wire, we were almost to the beach when I felt something change. The wire didn't feel like it had any sort of other end. There was nothing stopping me from just dragging this stupid thing around the whole arena with it not being attached to anything. The wire curled up and made a hissing sound as it retracted back at us.

"The wire's been cut!" I said. I saw an attacker jump down from the trees, and before I could either identify them or kill them, they hit Katniss across the back of the head with a thick metal object, and she began to bleed and fall to the ground. Jade screeched her name and stabbed at the unknown attacker, who beat her as well. I was too stunned to do anything, which is unlike me.

**Katniss POV**

I woke with a throbbing feeling in the back of my head, and found myself in a pool of thick, warm blood. I shuddered, knowing it was mine. My stomach lurched.

The next thing I knew, someone was flipping me over onto my back, much to the protest of my head. The pain was blinding, and I nearly blacked out again.

I forced my eyes open once more and saw Johanna on top of me. What the heck?!

Suddenly another stabbing pain appeared, in my hand this time. Johanna had a knife and was digging viciously into my hand. I let out a bloodcurdling scream at the intense pain.

I knew it! Johanna was turning on us!

"What are you doing you idiot?! Don't move!" Johanna hissed at me, her knife flipping upward and coating my face in blood.

A voice announced that I might as well be dead already, and I thought sadly to myself as I felt Johanna's weight pull off of me.

Was I really? Was this really it?

_Peeta._

Just his name brought a surge of energy to me. I had to keep looking for him. I had to find him and save him. I can't let him die. I can't let anyone else die. Johanna turned on us, so I don't care about her, but my mind wandered to Finnick. Oh my god, please let Finnick be okay. He was everything to Lulu.

Ignoring the blood gushing from my head and hand, I forced myself up and almost got sick. I swallowed hard and stumbled dizzily through the forest.

My vision was seriously messed up, as well as almost all of my other senses. I could hear alright, though.

I heard the voices of many people. I heard Brutus and Enobaria, and I knew they were enemies. I heard Finnick, Peeta, Jade, and Lulu screaming my name as well as each other's.

I opened my mouth and used all my willpower to yell back.

"PEETA!" was the first name that formed on my lips. "JADE! LULU! FINNICK!"

Their yelling ceased but continued soon after, and it became stronger and more urgent.

I hurried towards the sound, trying to ignore the fact that I kept running into things because I could see anything right. Everything hurt, and I wanted to give up.

But I couldn't give up. I could give up on myself, but I would never give up on them. On us.

I heard two canons go off and my heart gave out for a minute. I prayed over and over that it wasn't Peeta or anyone I loved.

I caught sight of Finnick and he waved at me, then waved for me to move forward. Our eyes met, and that was enough for him to know that I had understood him. I followed his orders and kept moving forward.

Something caught me around the ankle and I fell to the ground.

_Get up Katniss. Get up, now!_

I screamed at myself internally. I couldn't give up on them. I just couldn't do it. Not with Cat being so sick. Not with Lulu being so young. Not with…no. I just couldn't.

_GET UP!_

I forced my eyes open and glared down at the blood pool forming again.

"Get up, Katniss," I hissed through clenched teeth. "Don't let them down!"

I pushed with my arms and tried to lift myself, but it was difficult.

"GET UP!" I yelled, cursing myself for being so weak when they needed me.

Finally, with a sudden burst of confidence and an adrenaline rush, I made my way to my feet.

I continued on a little father, and my life flashed before me like an old movie. Tears streamed down my face, cutting through the blood and the dirt. My teeth gritted in determination.

Suddenly, I had an idea. It was mental, sure, but I prayed that Haymitch and whoever else was out there for us would be here as soon as possible. My actions could either kill us all or kill the right people, but there's no telling what the Capitol would do if they got ahold of one of us.

I looked for a weak spot in the force field and drew an arrow.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

**Jade POV**

I crawled across the sandy beach, screaming for anyone who I knew and trusted in this arena. I could hear them yelling back, and I could hear cannons too.

I fell onto the sand in defeat. I promised I'd never let them down, but what am I doing now? I'm letting them down by not forcing myself through all this.

Just as I was about to try and get back up, a huge explosion sounded, and the walls of the arena turned into leaping orange, red, white, and blue flames that leaped all around me. Bits of the arena began to fall down over me. I know this all happened in a matter of seconds, but somehow it seemed to slow down.

Just before I closed my eyes, I found the little Dipper constellation in the sky. And I knew this was the real sky. My thoughts drifted to Clove as the heat of the fire engulfed me completely.

**A/N: Very happy with this one! Part of me wants to tell who's going to have died and who isn't going to have died in the next (and probably final chapter of this story), and part of me wants to give it some suspense.**

**Let's go with suspense. So I hope you enjoyed, and please please review!**

**OH and I have an idea. Review or PM me two Victorious characters and a genre, and I will try to do a one-shot according to your guidelines! **

**Enjoy!**


	29. There Is No District 12

**A/N: This is my last day of freedom from school, so I wanted to get a chapter done for you guys and finish off this story. I truly hope you like it and that it is an appropriate ending to a story that everyone seemed to have liked. **

**Oh and any songs I happen to use in this chapter, I obviously do not own. I am thinking of writing my own song for use in Mockingjay Victorious Style. Sound good? Okay, I'll shut up now.**

**Katniss POV**

The first thing I could register was white.

White, everywhere. Anywhere I looked was surrounded in this blinding white color. I closed my eyes and waited for my dizziness to pass. Once everything stopped spinning, I opened my eyes again.

I realized that I was in a very white room, a hospital room. There were tubes hooked up to me everywhere, and I groaned a little as I could feel that pinching sensation where they were stuck in me. the back of my head was sore, and I wanted to move so I wasn't laying on it, but I didn't have the energy to. I tried to ignore the awful pain spiking in my hand where Johanna had dug in.

I sighed. Johanna. I knew she would turn on us.

I looked around and noticed that I was the only one in the room. I wondered where everyone was…and who made it out alive.

"Hello?" I called, hoping someone was nearby. I waited for Peeta to run into the room, but was instead greeted by Finnick, who seemed okay except for some cuts and bruises.

"Finnick!" I cried, and he tried to hug me a little bit. It was a little hard to do considering the tubes practically covering me.

"Katniss! We were so worried, you've been out for three days!" he exclaimed, sitting in a chair next to me.

Three days?!

"That's crazy…" I said, amazed that I could be unconscious that long. I didn't feel thirsty or hungry or anything, which wasn't really a good sign.

Finnick nodded, running his hand through his thick bronze hair.

Deciding that I had had enough of those tubes, I began tearing them out of my arm, much to Finnick's dislike. He didn't say anything, but I could see he didn't really want me to do that.

I saw that there were clothes sitting on the chair next to Finnick's. I raised an eyebrow at him and he closed his eyes tightly, covering them with his hands. I chuckled and pulled on the soft, cotton undergarments and t-shirt and the cargo pants.

"You can open your eyes now," I said, pulling my hair out of the back of my shirt. That simple gesture hurt like crazy because I used my hurt hand and my head obviously still hurt.

"Come on, I'll take you to go see everyone," Finnick said, steadying me by putting his shoulder under mine. He wrapped an arm around my back.

"Thanks," I said. "Who first?"

He thought for a moment and smiled. "Let's go see Cat."

I smiled too.

I saw doctors all over the hallways. They looked somewhat happy that I was alright and somewhat angry that I had removed the tubes and changed without their consent.

**Cat POV**

I lie awake in my room, alone once again. Finnick had left about fifteen minutes ago. I wasn't able to get up because everything still hurt, but I didn't feel sick. Just sore. I had been eating and drinking and felt so much better than I did three days ago.

Katniss and Jade hadn't woken up yet, which was scary. Finnick wouldn't tell me how Lulu was doing. Well, he actually hadn't been to see her because he wasn't ready yet.

He was too scared.

I was vaguely worried about Beetee, but honestly, I was more worried about my real, close friends.

I closed my eyes, just as I heard footsteps approaching.

Finnick walked into my room once again, only he wasn't the only one this time. Katniss was awake and moving, using him as a crutch so that she could move along. She looked like she was in some serious pain, but she pushed through it and smiled at me.

"Katniss!" I said, and I smiled wide. I was glad to see that she could at least move from where she was probably laying minutes before.

"How are you feeling?" Katniss asked as Finn sat her down in a chair right next to the bed.

"So much better. It hurts, but I feel so much better. How about you?" I told her.

"Well…I'm alive. I'm just so thankful that the blow to the back of my head didn't kill me," Katniss said, her voice lowering a little bit at the end. My smile faltered, but returned, because she was here, and she was okay. For the most part.

"I'm just so glad we're both okay," I whispered, and Katniss smiled.

Suddenly a doctor walked through the doorway.

"Your friend Jadelynn is awake," he said, and my heart leapt. Jade was okay too!

ignoring the doctor's protests, I stood up for the first time in about a week on my own. It hurt, that's for sure, but I did it anyway. I glanced at Katniss, and we smiled. We literally ran down to where Jade's name was on the wall. I don't know how we did it, but I know it hurt like crazy, and we both collapsed into the chairs. Finn followed close behind.

**Jade POV**

Seconds after I woke up, a doctor scurried out of the room. My eyebrow raised in confusion but I let it go. Moments later, two of the people I wanted most, excuse me THREE of the people I wanted most, arrived in my room.

Cat and Katniss looked beat up and in a lot of pain when they collapsed into the chairs near me. Oh my god. CAT!

"CAT!" I screeched, and I pulled the tubes in my arms out. I stopped short when I took in the condition of my body.

I was a sick yellow color, but I think that was because every inch of me was covered in bruises. There were cuts slashing through my bruises too, making me look rather mollifying.

"You okay?" Katniss asked quietly, and I turned to look at her.

I shook my head slightly to snap out of it.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just uh – just kind shocked is all," I explained. Katniss and Cat nodded, looking solemn and kind of worried.

"But I'm glad that you guys are okay. And Finn, I'm glad you're alright," I said, putting a smile back on my face. I took the tubes out of me and sat up, groaning at the pain. Everything, everywhere hurt.

"Wanna put these on?" Katniss asked, grabbing some clothes identical to hers, Cat's, and Finnick's from the chair next to her.

I nodded, and they closed their eyes as I slipped the gown off and put my undergarments and comfortable clothes on, sighing at the warmth and softness of the pants and t-shirt.

"Okay, you're good," I said with a slight laugh and they opened their eyes.

"So…where to next?" asked Finnick, stretching out a little bit.

"Lulu or Peeta," Katniss said, her smile completely dropping. My heart began to beat a little harder. What if they weren't okay?

I sighed and Katniss held her hand out to me. I took it gratefully as she guided me along, and Finn helped Cat. Finn seemed to be the only one in good condition.

We searched the halls for about fifteen minutes, and as time went on, my worry began to worsen. Maybe there was a second floor? That's where they had to be. They just had to be on another floor.

We saw Haymitch in the hallway, and Katniss went crazy.

"Where are they?! Where's Peeta and Lulu?" she asked, getting up in his face.

"Katniss, I-"

But she wanted answers, and so did I.

I grabbed Haymitch's shirt collar and pushed him against the wall.

"Where. Are. They?" I asked him through gritted teeth.

He looked angry at first, but then it subsided, and I could see sadness in his eyes.

My grip slackened, and my arms fell limply to my sides.

"Haymitch?" squeaked Cat, and I turned to face my friends.

Finnick's lip was quivering, and Cat's eyes were wide. I could see Katniss's heavy breathing.

I searched their eyes for any sort of recognition, any sign that they knew what was going on. I waited for one of them to say "Oh yeah, I forgot, they got moved" or something like that.

Something to let me know they were okay.

But I didn't see anything. They looked just as lost as I did.

I turned back to Haymitch slowly, and he sighed, defeated.

"We need to talk."

**30 Minutes Later**

**Finnick POV**

I paced my room, heart pounding, tears streaming, anger building up and up continuously.

How could they let her die? They're the Capitol, for God's sake! They're supposed to be able to save everyone, no matter what! AND, she was dying for two days and died during the night! AND NO ONE EVEN BOTHERED TO COME GET US!

And Peeta! I'm glad Johanna got saved, but she didn't do anything when she saw him! And she let President Snow's side of the Capitol take him. She watched it happen! Then again, she got taken soon after, but still, she didn't even do anything! She just kept walking!

But Lulu…

My anger left me completely. She was really gone.

I sunk into a chair and buried my face in my hands.

I should have stayed with her. I shouldn't have let stupid Beetee split us all up like that. Beetee. None of this would have happened if he hadn't come up with this dumb plan.

But I didn't have the energy to care. Lulu was dead. Peeta was being held hostage, as well as Johanna. They could be being tortured horribly or dead by now.

But it didn't make sense. We did everything we could to protect each other. I did everything I could to save her.

But I didn't do enough. And I will forever blame myself for that.

I rubbed circles on my temples as the tears continued to come.

I wondered how Katniss was feeling right now. Her fiancée was being held hostage, possibly dead, or possibly being tortured.

I didn't even bother to hide my tears as I walked down the busy hallway. I waved off any consolations offered by the doctors. Because they didn't know us. They didn't know what we were going through. They just didn't know.

I found Katniss's room once more, where she was curled up in fetal position on the bed, rocking back and forth and muttering things I couldn't understand. Tears poured down her face like rain and her nose running like crazy.

I didn't think twice when I walked up to her and enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug, sobs ripping their way out of both of our throats. I hadn't cried like this since Annie had been reaped for the Games.

Slowly but surely, the both of us were able to calm down to the point where there only silent tears. Katniss's face was red and blotchy, and I assumed mine looked no different.

"I'm so sorry Finn. I know what she meant to you," Katniss said.

I tried to close off my throat and strained to keep my cry from forming, and fresh tears welled up in my eyes.

"I've n-never loved anyone like that s-since I met Annie," I explained. And it was true. Of course I loved all of my friends and would die for them. But I had never felt so much love and protection towards any of them like I did towards Lulu. I felt like she'd been my sister forever, and losing her was like having part of my heart ripped out.

I heard footsteps, and looked up. The last person I wanted to see was standing in the doorway.

Unlike all of us, who had taken an awful beating, all he head was his stab wound which the Capitol had been able to heal. He wore newly issued glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose. He stood straight and looked truly sympathetic.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," he said, his voice full of sorrow. But Beetee's consolations meant less than nothing to me.

**Cat POV**

My breathing was wavering as I tried to calm down. I had just had a major meltdown. I was sobbing and screaming, kicking things to the point of making myself bleed. People watched on, but I just screamed at them too.

I was calm now, in this crushing sadness. Jade was in the doorway, watching me cautiously as tears continued to fall from both of our eyes.

I had just screamed at her too, and was immediately regretting it.

"I'm so sorry," I said as she pulled me into a hug. I buried my head in her neck and cried some more, and felt her body shaking.

I pulled away as I heard someone else yelling, from what could only be Katniss's room, since Finnick's was way on the other side of the hall I think.

I could tell that it was Finnick who was yelling.

"_You're _sorry? _YOU'RE _SORRY?" he cried out, and Jade grabbed my wrist and dragged me towards the sound.

"You're the one who split us up! You're the one that didn't let me protect her! This is your fault! If it wasn't for you and your ridiculously stupid plan, this wouldn't have happened, you idiot!" Finnick continued to scream, his voice shaking with rage. As we reached the doorway, I saw it was also shaking from tears. Katniss watched on worriedly.

"Finnick, I assure you, I never intended-"

"I don't care what you _intended._ I don't care what you think at all! Your 'consolations' mean LESS than nothing to me! I don't want to ever see you again!" Finnick screamed.

"It's your fault that she's dead," he whispered, and I caught Katniss's eye for a moment.

Beetee didn't seem fazed by Finnick's yelling. Seeing this, Finnick growled, kicked the wall, and pushed past Beetee, Jade, and I and made his way down to his room. Or somewhere else, I don't know.

Beetee turned and faced us and a pleasant smile its way onto his lips.

"Hello girls. How are you? I truly am terribly sorry," he said, his smile falling at the last sentence.

As much as I wanted to blame him, I know it wasn't his fault. It was no one's fault, no matter who did what.

"Uh, thanks. How come you're not mad about Finnick?" asked Jade quietly.

"He's grieving. Like you, Caterina. I saw your little meltdown. And it's okay. Everyone has different ways of grieving. I accept that," Beetee said.

My face turned red. I felt bad because I had been angry at Beetee, like Finnick, but could never have yelled at him that way.

"I'll leave you now," he said, walking past us back to wherever it was he came from.

So that left the four of us to be there in Katniss's room in silence.

I noticed a piano in the corner. Someone must know that music is our safe haven and brought it in.

I tapped Jade's arm and pointed to it. She smiled slightly.

Katniss and Finnick turned to where we were pointed, and I could visibly see both of them calm down.

To my surprise, it was Finn who stood up and walked over to the piano. He played a few notes quietly and then played a delicate intro.

I knew the song, I just couldn't place it.

When Finnick's mouth opened to sing, his voice was definitely not what I was expecting.

"Step one he says, we need to talk

He walks, he says sit down it's just a talk

He smiles politely back at you

You stare 'politely' right on through," he sang, his voice smooth as silk. The rest of the lyrics appeared in my mind.

"Some sort of window to your right

He goes left and you stay right

Between the line

Of fear and blame

And you begin to wonder why you came," I added in with him, and Finnick glanced up at me, sadness in his eyes.

"Where did I go wrong

I lost a friend

Somewhere along in the bitterness

And I would have stayed up

With her all night

Had I known

How to save a life," all of us sang together. Our voices sounded great together but I was too sad to think about that more.

We were cut off by a group of people walking into the room.

My heart leapt as I realized who they were.

I immediately launched myself into Frankie and Sammy's arms.

**20 Minutes Later**

**Jade POV**

I was surrounded by my father, Clove, and Gale. Gale had wrapped me up tightly in his arms, and Clove and Dad each had one of my hands. Across from me was Cat, Frankie, and Sam. Cat was in Sam's arms too, buried deep into his chest, and held Frankie's hand. Prim sat atop Katniss's lap, and Katniss's mother held one of Katniss's hands. A young woman who looked to be about the same age as Finnick was wrapped up in his arms.

So that was Annie.

I was beyond happy to be with everyone again. though it had been only about two weeks now, it felt like an eternity.

"So, how's everything back at home?" I asked timidly.

Gale sighed.

"About that…" he said.

Oh no. oh god no. Please don't let this be real.

I could see the panic in everyone's eyes, minus Finnick and Annie's. Finnick looked more concerned, and Annie seemed very out of it.

Sam took a deep breath, and I knew that this couldn't be good.

"There is no District 12. We were bombed."

**A/N: TADA! Story two is now over. I'll probably write the oneshot that was requested first when I get the chance and then start the final story. I appreciate everyone who has stayed with me and reviewed through this whole thing **

**As always, please review!**

**I'll talk to you all soon. Until then…**

**Goodbye! -BraveAtHeart**


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